Erotic movie enters a new dimension
By Min Lee |
01:01 UTC+8 April 21, 2011
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A PIONEERING 3D erotic comedy has taken the Hong Kong box office by storm, beating the first-day record set by "Avatar" and drawing viewers from Chinese mainland.
The US$3.5 million Cantonese-language production "3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" had earned HK$17 million (US$2.2 million) as of Tuesday since opening last week on 73 screens, according to figures provided by producer Stephen Shiu. That's nearly seven times the total take so far for Hollywood thriller "Scream 4," which has earned HK$2.5 million.
"Sex and Zen" - a remake of a 1991 Hong Kong movie - features full nudity and lovemaking scenes but does not show actual intercourse.
The movie, which stars Japanese porn stars Hara Saori and Suo Yukiko and Hong Kong actress Vonnie Liu, tells the story of a sexually frustrated scholar in ancient China who loses himself in the harem of a duke he befriends.
The film brought in HK$2.78 million on its opening day last Thursday, eclipsing the previous first-day record set by James Cameron's 2009 3D sci-fi epic "Avatar," which earned HK$2.63 million on its first day.
In Taiwan, where the movie opened on Friday on 77 screens, it earned NT$17 million (US$590,000) over the weekend. That figure, though still below the Hollywood competition, marked the best opening weekend for a Chinese-language movie in Taiwan this year, Shiu said.
'People were very curious'
Shiu, whose father, also Stephen, served as executive producer on the original "Sex and Zen," said he believed he had capitalized on a huge desire for 3D erotic movies. "We met people's expectations. People have always thought that you need 3D technology for this kind of content. So people were very curious," he said.
"Sex and Zen" bills itself as the world's first 3D erotic film, although Shiu acknowledges that a South Korean production - last year's "Natali" - hit the market before his release.
However, Shiu's movie is still a pioneering attempt at using new 3D technology in theatrical releases of erotic films, given that the market in the West is now largely dominated by DVD releases.
The movie's Hong Kong performance was boosted by an influx of mainland viewers, whom Shiu estimated accounted for up to half the business at some theaters.
It has also been released in about a dozen theaters in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The movie is due to be released in South Korea on May 12, and in France, Italy and India in June. Shiu also targets a May release for Singapore, although the filmmakers are still working with local censors on the final cut.
The US$3.5 million Cantonese-language production "3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy" had earned HK$17 million (US$2.2 million) as of Tuesday since opening last week on 73 screens, according to figures provided by producer Stephen Shiu. That's nearly seven times the total take so far for Hollywood thriller "Scream 4," which has earned HK$2.5 million.
"Sex and Zen" - a remake of a 1991 Hong Kong movie - features full nudity and lovemaking scenes but does not show actual intercourse.
The movie, which stars Japanese porn stars Hara Saori and Suo Yukiko and Hong Kong actress Vonnie Liu, tells the story of a sexually frustrated scholar in ancient China who loses himself in the harem of a duke he befriends.
The film brought in HK$2.78 million on its opening day last Thursday, eclipsing the previous first-day record set by James Cameron's 2009 3D sci-fi epic "Avatar," which earned HK$2.63 million on its first day.
In Taiwan, where the movie opened on Friday on 77 screens, it earned NT$17 million (US$590,000) over the weekend. That figure, though still below the Hollywood competition, marked the best opening weekend for a Chinese-language movie in Taiwan this year, Shiu said.
'People were very curious'
Shiu, whose father, also Stephen, served as executive producer on the original "Sex and Zen," said he believed he had capitalized on a huge desire for 3D erotic movies. "We met people's expectations. People have always thought that you need 3D technology for this kind of content. So people were very curious," he said.
"Sex and Zen" bills itself as the world's first 3D erotic film, although Shiu acknowledges that a South Korean production - last year's "Natali" - hit the market before his release.
However, Shiu's movie is still a pioneering attempt at using new 3D technology in theatrical releases of erotic films, given that the market in the West is now largely dominated by DVD releases.
The movie's Hong Kong performance was boosted by an influx of mainland viewers, whom Shiu estimated accounted for up to half the business at some theaters.
It has also been released in about a dozen theaters in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The movie is due to be released in South Korea on May 12, and in France, Italy and India in June. Shiu also targets a May release for Singapore, although the filmmakers are still working with local censors on the final cut.
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