Although Hong Kong cinema has not died, it walks on the edge of death. A large number of Hong Kong film directors chose to head north in search of new opportunities, which has long been well known.
The influx of many Hong Kong directors to the mainland has, to some extent, boosted the domestic film industry, but it has also brought many of the inherent shortcomings of Hong Kong cinema.
In fact, a little analysis shows that, judging by the trajectory of Chinese low-quality films in recent years, Hong Kong directors, in addition to domestic directors, have contributed a significant number of these films. Many Hong Kong directors are typical opportunists. Strictly speaking, categorizing them under "insulting the audience's intelligence" is not an exaggeration.
In Duke's view, the low quality of some Hong Kong directors' works, often seen as "over-consuming their own credit," actually stems from the CEPA agreement signed in 2004.
After that agreement, Hong Kong directors began to enter the mainland on a large scale. When producing co-productions in the mainland, one indispensable step is censorship. For Hong Kong directors, who were initially unfamiliar with the censorship system, they had to "cross the river by feeling the stones," and in filmmaking, they generally chose the safest routines. Over the past eight years, most of the films Hong Kong directors brought to mainland audiences fell into two main categories: historical martial arts and historical comedies.
Genres that Hong Kong directors are more adept at, such as gangster films or police crime films, were hardly attempted.
After testing the waters, many Hong Kong directors found that historical martial arts and historical comedies were enough to achieve decent box office results.
Furthermore, most of the Hong Kong directors currently active in the mainland are already middle-aged or older. Their pursuit of new genres, new topics, and new technologies is almost conservative. Except for a few representatives like Xu Laoguai, the majority of Hong Kong directors rely on old routines, yet still use past Hong Kong film clichés to make money from mainland audiences.
However, with the invasion of Hollywood films, just as Hong Kong cinema lost its Southeast Asian market and even its home market, audiences now know what films can really achieve. How could they continue to accept old content in new bottles? It is therefore unsurprising that these works are increasingly classified as low-quality films.
Yet these works have also given some mainland directors hope. If so many top Hong Kong directors' films are just like this, and our level is comparable, couldn't we also make money?
Films are deeply influenced by social factors. The mainland today is no longer the 1990s.
After years of exposure to video halls and over a decade of information-rich internet culture, mainland audiences' tastes and appreciation levels are completely different from ten or twenty years ago. The main consumer base is now mainly post-80s and post-90s generations.
Many Hong Kong filmmakers who moved north have not seen themselves as part of the local community, treating themselves like migratory birds passing through…
Of course, Duke would never foolishly say these words aloud. Compared to those Hong Kong directors, he is even more of a true outsider and passerby.
After leaving the theater hosting the forum, Duke cited feeling unwell to politely decline several invitations from Chinese film company bosses to dinner. He then joined Scarlett Johansson and Tina Fey and returned directly to the hotel.
"How was the forum?"
Back at the hotel, an excited Scarlett immediately asked, "Did you give any suggestions? You don't know much about the Chinese film market, but maybe you could be their savior."
Hearing this, Duke hung up his coat, sat on the sofa, and shook his head. "Darling, for this country and this market, we are always outsiders."
He would not foolishly think that they truly considered him a savior or one of their own, nor would he naively believe that one person could change a country's film industry.
Seeing Duke seemed a little tired, Scarlett moved behind the sofa, extended her hands, gently rubbed, and then started massaging his shoulders.
Although her technique was not very professional, Duke still closed his eyes in comfort.
After a short while, Scarlett checked the time and asked, "Are you hungry? Should I ask the chef to prepare a meal?"
Duke nodded lightly.
For this trip to China, Duke and Scarlett had even brought their personal chef.
Probably due to being overly busy in the past two years, Duke's stomach had not been well in recent months. At Scarlett Johansson's strong insistence, they hired a dedicated nutrition and health chef, who designed meals specifically for him. In Duke's words, the chef's menu was extremely meticulous.
The chef, named Allen Campbell, created a highly targeted health diet. Duke, not being rigid or stubborn, and knowing Scarlett cared for him, did not refuse.
Over the past month, eighty percent of Duke's meals were vegetables, purchased as fresh as possible. The remaining twenty percent were lean meats—grass-fed beef steaks, duck, and chicken.
As for fish, most were wild salmon.
Not all fresh vegetables and fruits were suitable for consumption. In fact, nightshade plants like chili peppers were completely banned in the diet, as they could not improve resistance or stomach function, including tomatoes, chili, mushrooms, and eggplants.
Some might consider this extreme, but there were many more foods Duke was advised not to eat.
For example, no white sugar, no white flour, no MSG. The chef used virgin olive oil but never for cooking; coconut oil was used for cooking, and only Himalayan pink rock salt was used, not iodized salt.
Iodized salt offers no benefit to a normal person's health.
Additionally, Duke was to avoid coffee, caffeine-containing foods, fungi, and dairy products.
If Duke wanted to relax, Allen Campbell would prepare quinoa with vegetables, using kale, romaine lettuce, or beet greens, combined with garlic and roasted in coconut oil. There would also be roasted almonds, cashew paste with curry, and lemon herb…
Besides paying special attention to his diet, Duke's daily routine also had to be regular. After a busy day of work, it was hard for him to unwind, so before going to sleep, he would do some cognitive exercises to relax his mind.
Fortunately, Duke was no longer the nightlife enthusiast he used to be and now paid great attention to self-care.
Duke's most important work in China was still promoting The Avengers. In the following days, he and Scarlett Johansson attended numerous activities and frequently appeared in the media.
Additionally, at Duke's suggestion, Warner China launched a promotional wave, using a series of marketing stunts to increase the topic of The Avengers, attracting more movie fans to the theaters.
For instance, Duke focused on the 'Chinese Avengers' concept that had once been sent to him. Warner China, together with the co-distributor China Film Group, launched an online campaign on several major websites called, "If you formed a Chinese Avengers team, who would you recommend?"
This instantly ignited netizens' enthusiasm. Replies on several sites quickly exceeded 500,000. Characters like the Calabash Brothers, Black Cat Detective, Sun Wukong, Nezha, and even Thunder Baby were included as candidates. On the villain side, Bai Gu Jing, Scorpion Spirit, and Snake Spirit were listed as suitable choices.
"If Chinese cartoon characters also joined to make an Avengers team, it would be awesome! Black Cat Detective leads, Sun Wukong on the left, Nezha the Third Prince on the right, and the Calabash Brothers behind!"
"Villains are easy to find too: One-Ear, Cat-and-Mouse-Eating duo, Scorpion Spirit and Snake Spirit couple, Four Sea Dragon Kings, Bai Gu Jing, and other demons and monsters attempting world domination. Fortunately, Black Cat Detective, King Kong Calabash Brothers, Sun Wukong, and Nezha formed the Justice League and finally defeated evil, bringing peace to the world."
Some suggested creating a "Jin Yong Martial Arts Alliance," combining Linghu Chong, Yang Xiao, White Brow Eagle King, Hong Qigong, and Old Mischievous Man; others proposed a "Famous Beauties Alliance," including Pan Jinlian, Xi Shi, Diao Chan, and Daji…
"Darling…" Scarlett, after hearing Tina Fey's translation, curiously asked Duke, "Who is Sun Wukong?"
"A monkey with extraordinary powers."
Regarding this purely Eastern mythological figure, Duke did not even know where to start, "In short, he's a hundred times stronger than Harry Potter."
The unprecedented collective action of superheroes like Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor was undoubtedly the biggest gimmick of The Avengers.
Chinese netizens, hoping for a boost in domestic Chinese-language films, were easily led; their imagination soared. Ideas about whether characters like the Calabash Brothers, Black Cat Detective, Sun Wukong, and Nezha could form a "Chinese Superman" team emerged endlessly.
Under the guidance of Warner China, journalists also consulted industry experts. Feedback indicated that the idea was somewhat "nonsensical" and difficult to implement, as Chinese filmmakers lacked experience and ability in producing live-action superhero films.
Stimulated by this series of promotional marketing, The Avengers aggressively soared in the Chinese market, raking in over 800 million RMB in box office revenue from last Friday to this Thursday. Everyone realized this film would inevitably set new Chinese box office records.
Meanwhile, The Avengers continued its frenzy in North America, earning 112.06 million USD in four working days after its first weekend, with a cumulative North American box office of 355.37 million USD!
As in North America, the film temporarily had no rivals in the global film market. In just seven days, global box office revenue reached 882.66 million USD, almost securing this year's box office champion.
However, in the upcoming weekend, The Avengers would face strong challengers in North America and overseas. Fast & Furious 5, releasing across more than 90 countries and regions, was about to start its global debut.
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