It is understood that "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City" starring Louis Koo , Raymond Lam, etc. has achieved great success since its release, and is now only one step away from becoming the local Chinese film champion. After the film was released in the mainland on May 1, it also took in a box office of 684 million yuan, which made many people shout that Hong Kong films are reviving. Behind the brilliant achievements of "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City", we have heard voices of concern from the industry. Chen Luochu, the producer of "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City" and a veteran filmmaker, used his keen insight to boldly reveal another side of Hong Kong films - an industry that is at a crossroads and faces many challenges.
Chen Luochao first talked about films with small production costs. He said that in the past, when making low-cost films, even if the Hong Kong market was small and foreign film producers did not favor them, because There are satellite TV movie channels that purchase the broadcasting rights (note: movie channels that broadcast throughout Asia mainly broadcast Chinese-language movies). There is not much pressure on the box office, and it is not difficult to maintain capital and make money. However, with the adjustment of the station’s parent company Disney’s business strategy, the rise of streaming media, and the progress of the film industry elsewhere, Hong Kong filmmakers have gradually lost this important support and cannot find any replacement.
"Take a movie that costs 8 million Hong Kong dollars as an example. It is very difficult for such a small production to be sold overseas. However, because a satellite TV movie channel has purchased the Asian broadcast rights, plus DVD sales, the box office only needs to reach 3 million or 4 million. Hong Kong dollars are enough. But as the movie channel gradually closes down and DVD sales shrink, it is necessary to obtain a box office of 7 million Hong Kong dollars. It can be seen that the difficulty has become much higher. Therefore, now it is basically only possible to find investment and sponsorship from public institutions. It’s rare to be able to afford small productions, but not others.” Chen Luochao said.
It must be pointed out that obtaining public transportation investment and sponsorship can only guarantee the barely launched plan. Other funds still have to be raised on their own. Main actors in front of and behind the scenes will most likely have to reduce their salaries and use their love to generate electricity. Waiting for the final release may not be good. Return. Looking at the local non-co-production small productions in recent years, nine out of ten have lost money, and only a handful have made money, which shows that they are basically unable to survive independently.
Chen Luochao analyzed from the perspective of films with large production costs. He also pointed out that many films failed at the box office, which discouraged mainland investors. At present, many big-budget films in Hong Kong are co-productions and are highly dependent on financial support from mainland investors. However, as more and more cases of box office failure occur, mainland investors have become cautious.
Chen Luochao said that Hong Kong colleagues have recently received news that some mainland film companies have suspended investment in Hong Kong films: "Because two Hong Kong films have not performed well at the box office in the mainland recently, some mainland film companies will suspend investment and distribution in Hong Kong. Movies. In fact, there are signs as early as 2023. " When the Wind Comes Again", " Disconnected ", "Don't Call Me God of Gamblers" and " Assassination Storm " all lost money, each of which even had a box office of 100 million yuan. None, until "Goldfinger " and " Stealth " were slightly better. They felt that even with Liu Qingyun, Ng Chun-yu , Nicholas Tse , and Jacky Cheung, the box office was only more than 100 million yuan. The publicity work will cost about 50 million yuan or 60 million yuan, and the investment for the entire project will start at least nine figures, so there is no investment value. "
Chen Luochao is very clear about the importance of mainland film companies and investors, and emphasizes that through hard work. Restore the confidence of mainland film companies and investors in Hong Kong films. In addition, he also hopes that young filmmakers can adjust according to changes in the environment: "Hong Kong movies have always been great. Before 2000, they swept the world. Basically, they didn't say what the movie was. There was a list of actors and actresses and it was already guaranteed. . Later, the market changed, and everyone gathered to shoot movies dominated by the mainland market.The new generation of creators want to shoot the subjects they want, which is not a bad thing, but this may not be in line with market tastes, and the chances of going overseas are even lower. Because you don’t have the ability to make buyers make money, it’s difficult to open a market. "
Generally speaking, Chen Luochao explained from both small and large-scale productions. He believes that the statement that Hong Kong movies are facing a huge crisis is a relatively objective judgment.
Reporter: Xing Yuan Editor: Xing Yuan Proofreader: Tang Qi
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