Hong Kong famous person Andy Lau’s film The Movie Emperor has hit a highway block in China.
The satirical comedy, whose Chinese title interprets to Mr Red Carpet, was pulled instantly from cinemas there, per week after it was launched on Feb 10, the primary day of Chinese New Year. It is now displaying in Singapore and Malaysian cinemas.
The announcement was made by the film’s producer Huanxi Media Group (Shanghai) on social media on Feb 16, however no purpose was given for the transfer.
“Thank you for your support of the film since its release,” learn the announcement on Weibo. “After careful consideration by our team, The Movie Emperor will be withdrawn from the Spring Festival schedule and be released on a new date.”
Directed by Chinese filmmaker Ning Hao, the film sees Lau enjoying an A-list actor who yearns for the validation of his friends amid his declining recognition.
He contacts a Chinese director – recognized for his genuine and gritty filmmaking – to painting an strange farmer in a film set in the countryside in China.
To succeed in his comeback position, the main man immerses himself in the lives of the villagers. However, his conceitedness and self-importance are instantly evident to the locals, and they don’t take kindly to his presence.
According to the Hong Kong media, The Movie Emperor confronted competitors from seven different movies in the course of the festive interval in China and grossed solely 83 million yuan (RM55mil) after eight days. It has a reported funds of 261 million yuan (RM173mil).
It was a far cry from the box-office takings of the highest film Yolo, which grossed greater than 2.72 billion yuan (RM1.8bil) in the identical interval. Yolo stars Chinese comedienne Jia Ling, who performs an chubby, unemployed girl whose life modifications after she meets a boxing coach.
Some Chinese netizens attributed The Movie Emperor’s poor displaying to the film’s screening occasions, which had been primarily early in the morning or late at night time, making it inconvenient for audiences, in addition to spurring lukewarm critiques. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
