Chapter 283 Market Performance (14)
In fact, after "Infernal Affairs", Hong Kong films are still innovative in terms of subject matter, and the martial arts genre is still being experimented with. Xu Ke made "Seven Swords", Li Rengang made "The Guards", Chen Kexin and Liu Weiqiang worked on "Blood Drops", and Chen Jiashang There is also "Four Famous Catchers"...
The King has even produced fantasy themes such as "A Thousand Years of Change" and "The Great Sage"...
The same is true for comedy. Louis Koo and Ronald Cheng have filmed a lot of comedies...
It's a pity that they are not very effective!
Still have to rely on police movies.
It has this soil itself!
Hong Kong is very big and very international.
Hong Kong is so small that people are extremely crowded.
In the small space of Hong Kong, there are Hong Kong natives, mainlanders, third brothers, Filipino maids, foreign devils, Japanese and Japanese...
The cultural gap between people is extremely large, but the distance between people is extremely small.
When different people come into contact every day, friction and disputes will occur. If there are disputes, there will be police stories.
Of course, there is another point. The most critical reason why Hong Kong police and criminal films remain competitive is because these themes cannot be filmed in the mainland.
There can be no rogue police officers, no evil police officers, and no gangsters who can work as undercover agents at the top of the police force...
If you want to take pictures, you have to learn from Chen Sicheng and go to Chinatown.
Another point is that police movies have simple drama conflicts and clear black and white characters. The action scenes are exciting and can easily bring pleasure to the audience. Many elements can be incorporated. Scheduling is easy from all aspects, as long as it looks good...
Of course, as the quality of the audience improves at this stage, you have to do something new...
"Witness" and "Informant" are actually okay.
But the pattern still cannot be opened...
I don’t understand why the villain in a Hong Kong police movie is still thinking about robbing...
It’s an age when the streets are full of surveillance videos;
Robbery is no longer the number one criminal case. Now the number one criminal case is Internet fraud, man!
That's technology and hard work...
Let’s talk about “New World”.
"How can an undercover agent have a relationship with his superior? In such a dangerous job, would having feelings make you do such a dangerous job? At the beginning, there may be feelings, but three years later, three years later, three years later, three years later, I think the police will also doubt whether the undercover agent has turned traitor!"
"…Is that what you think?"
"Um…"
"What about the ending?"
"Kill the police and there will be two candidates, and they will succeed in taking office..."
Zheng Jianfeng thought for a while and then asked, "Can you tell me the whole story?"
Shen Xudong smiled and shook his head: "I haven't thought it through yet..."
“…”
Zheng Jianfeng glanced at him and did not continue...
He is also weighing Shen Xudong's weight...
What? "Glory of the Tang Dynasty"?
Can you predict a movie that hasn’t been released yet?
What? "Outstanding Citizen"?
Haha, the Hong Kong box office of "Outstanding Citizen" was HK$8.9 million...
…
Xiangjiang is too small, but one press conference is enough for publicity...
Sometimes there is no need for a press conference. Once a high-quality movie is released, some media will naturally help to promote it.
Phenomenal-level ones, such as "Shaolin Football" and "Infernal Affairs", are held at midnight, and the whole island will be covered with related reports the next day!
"Hold the Call" is definitely not a phenomenon!
This can also be seen from Wen Jun's column the next day: "An innocent woman was kidnapped. She made a call for help from a certain man. She rushed to rescue the driver without any hesitation. She killed her in a thrilling and thrilling way, and finally saved her life in a critical moment."
But because it is "Chen Musheng's work", it is natural to add some essential elements of Chen's police and gangster movies since "Stormtroopers on the Streets": there must be scum in the police station, good policemen must be frustrated, and villains must be arrogant. , there must be a car chase on the street, and the ending must be a big fight in a closed scene. ’
'In fact, Chen's elements are basically the convention of any Hong Kong police and gangster film in the 1980s and 1990s. However, in the new century, after "Infernal Affairs" and "PTU" started the trend of costumed and cool police and gangster films, Hong Kong films It started to become more restrained and deep, but only Chen Musheng adhered to the tradition of Hong Kong films and continued to combine fiery action, funny scenes, and tragic pathos into one pot, creating a powerful and aphrodisiac soup.
Over the past ten years, his directing works have been of a stable standard and remain popular, but it cannot be said that there are no surprises. For example, there are changes in "Hold the Call". ’
'Firstly, the actions tend to be realistic. Gu Tianzhen in "Hold the Call" is just an ordinary person. He dares to drive a car but cannot fight. Therefore, there is no difficulty in the fight this time. It is completely based on hard work and hard work, and he can win completely. Relying on luck not only increases the sense of reality, but also enhances the drama;'
'Secondly, the story is more reasonable. After Gu Tianzhu received Chen Hao's call for help, he did not believe it immediately. Even if he finally believed it, he could still see his psychological struggle.
As for some of the plots arranged to keep the conversation going, such as charging mobile phones, etc., in addition to focusing on rationality, they are also more interesting. This story contains several hilarious scenes in a row, and there is humor in the tension. It is the funniest section in the whole film.
It is said that this is the credit of screenwriter Shen Xudong. I will introduce Shen Xudong later...'
‘Thirdly, the story is quite evocative. If we received a call for help, would we believe it? Will you save him?
Watching "Mobile Phone" directed by Feng Xiaogang makes people wary of high-tech communication equipment, but "Hold the Call" conveys a very positive message that mobile phones can save lives and make each other's relationship closer. ’
'Finally, let's talk about Shen Xudong, a new writer and screenwriter born in the 1980s in the Mainland. The hit "The Orphan" not long ago was adapted from his novel. The Mainland's Chen Daoming also starred in "Outstanding Citizen" written by him and won the award. Venice Best Actor, you see I specially ordered "Cell Phone". It is said that the creative source of "Hold the Call" was "Cell Phone"...'
Wen Jun's comments are very representative: "Hold the Call" has surprises, but it can't be said to be a breakthrough!
However, the market performance of "Hold the Call"... was a bit beyond the Emperor's expectations. The box office in the first three days of the weekend was 8.2 million Hong Kong dollars. The first weekend box office in Singapore and Malaysia was 3.2 million Hong Kong dollars and 3.05 million Hong Kong dollars respectively...
It is generally believed that it is because of Gu Tianju - Gu Tianju has become very popular in recent years. In 2001, two movies, "Peerless Bra" and "The Legend of Shushan", were among the top ten of the year. In 2002, "呖呖呖喖呥新财" , "Hedong Lion Roar" and "Peerless Baby", three films ranked among the top ten of the year. In 2003, "A Hundred Years of Love", "Falling in Love with Your Bed" and "Unforgettable" were also three; so far this year There is only one "Rhapsody", which does not conform to the rules of the rising period...
Generally speaking, it is very easy to reach 8 million in the first weekend and break 20 million!
Although this surprise is not as good as that of "Ghost" - "Ghost" grossed 13.6 million in its first weekend, with a total box office of 28.42 million Hong Kong dollars...
But it’s already awesome—“New Police Story” only grossed HK$7 million at the box office in its first weekend…
Shen Xudong ushered in his first exclusive interview in Hong Kong, well, it was actually "Qiang Qiang Threesome".