asian box office Tagged Articles at Cinematical

A couple of weeks back, I wrote about the imminent release of three-quel Public Enemy Returns. Hopes were high that the Korean-made crime action comedy would enjoy a measure of success and thus buoy local filmmakers; Korean audiences have been avoiding local product for months.

Public Enemy Returns did indeed have a bountiful opening, grossing more than $7.2 million in its premiere weekend and smashing Get Smart, according to Box Office Mojo. In its second weekend, though, it fell victim to international action powerhouse Wanted, demonstrating that curving bullets and the even more curvaceous Angelina Jolie need fear no borders. Still, Public Enemy Returns has nothing to be ashamed of -- it made $4.7 million to Wanted's $5.4 million -- and provides hope that upcoming Korean movies such as The Good, the Bad, and the Weird, Sunny, and Eye for an Eye will find favor locally in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, Kung Fu Panda has been warmly embraced by China, in the words of The Hollywood Reporter. With $14 million in box office receipts in its first ten days, the animated animal adventure has already been declared "the most successful foreign animated film in China," as claimed by a government news agency. If accurate, that gross would place the film practically neck and neck with Iron Man and the Chinese-made Kung Fu Dunk for the #3 box office position for the year so far. I haven't seen Panda yet; is this is a good thing or a bad thing from a cultural and/or cinematic standpoint?

Stephen Chow's still got it. Now in his mid 40's, the Chinese comic actor par excellence has slowed down his output since his prolific earlier days (i.e. the early 90s), when it wasn't unusual for him to appear in three, four or more flicks per year. Firmly in control of his own projects as star, writer, and director, his last two films (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle) have been comedy gold and incredibly successful at the worldwide box office.

His latest, CJ7, a family-oriented fantasy comedy about a kid and a cute alien critter, opened a few days ago in Asia and is making ordinary moviegoers act like postal carriers. (You know, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night ...") Variety reports that thousands of people in mainland China "defied blizzards" just to see the film, pushing the box office take to 60 million yuan ($8.35 million) in just four days of release. It's been equally successful in Hong Kong, grossing HK$15.8 million ($2.03 million) on a massive 100 screens, according to Variety. A different source, Box Office Mojo, puts the gross at $2.11 million, which translates into $24,894 per screen at 85 locations. And in Taiwan, Variety says partial figures peg the total so far at NT$35 million ($1.09 million).

As Monika reported, Chow talked up the film at a recent press conference. The reviews so far has been mixed to good, but not ecstatic (see Variety, Twitch, LoveHKFilm). CJ7 opens in New York and Los Angeles on March 7, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics; hopefully the rest of us won't have to wait much longer to see it. To get an early taste, check out the trailer.

In his role as producer, John Woo must be shaking his head at the mixed response to Blood Brothers. Set in 1930's Shanghai, the story follows three friends as they seek their fortune. After watching the two trailers, I expressed cautious optimism. But opinions are now divided as to the film's success. Variety Asia Online says that audiences in Mainland China appeared to love it. The film made $2.9 million in its first 10 days of release. One week later, the film took a hit in Hong Kong on its opening weekend, earning just $77,541, according to another article in Variety Asia Online. What happened?

The Golden Rock, a Hong Kong blogger and reviewer, notes that a huge billboard advertising the film has already come down. After pointing out that Blood Brothers did not even finish in the Top 10 locally, he says: "At least it's doing well in China, where they must love all that moralizing about brotherhood." Kozo, another Hong Kong-based reviewer, summarizes his feelings at LoveHKFilm.com: "Pretty but uninspired direction, a bare bones script, and underdeveloped characters derail this highly-anticipated reworking of John Woo's Bullet in the Head." An uncredited review by the Associated Press, published by the International Herald Tribune, says that director Alexei Tan's "ultimate failure" is that he "doesn't sufficiently justify the bloodbath that the movie degenerates into."

The film also opened in Malaysia, where a reviewer for Cinema Online was more positive, calling it a "very refined, neo-noir action-drama with a particular interest in the finer, cinematic points of dying." But opening weekend returns were as disappointing as in Hong Kong, as the action picture finished at #8 with a gross of $19,107. Blood Brothers will close the Venice Film Festival on September 8 and then play the Toronto fest on September 12, 13 and 15. Presumably more reviews will be forthcoming.