Hong Kong 1990: From stuntman to King of Kung Fu

Chapter 106, "Kill the Wolf," Grand Premiere

In September, the summer movie season finally came to a close.

Only "Once Upon a Time in China II" is still showing in theaters, highlighting the sluggishness of the September film market.

After "SPL" was confirmed to be released on October 1st, the film's promotional campaign began in September.

Xinbao Cinemas has begun displaying movie posters at its various cinemas, and some media outlets have sporadically reported on the film's release.

Because of Tsui Hark, Tang Lung's films were almost all shown in Golden Princess theaters.

However, as news of the impending sale of Golden Princess Entertainment spread like wildfire in the industry, Golden Princess employees were filled with anxiety and had little motivation to work.

Seeing this, Tang Long decisively chose to cooperate with Xinbao Cinema, which had been trying to win him over.

Chen Rongmei and Feng Bingzhong only operate cinema chains and do not participate in film investment.

In order to have enough film sources, they would use their connections to connect some production companies in Hong Kong with Taiwanese and Southeast Asian capital.

After Xinbao Cinema Line established itself in the 1990s, it no longer needed them to act as intermediaries.

However, in order to generate revenue, they will continue to court companies with strong production capabilities.

Wing Shing initially collaborated with Golden Harvest due to its relationship with Sun Kee.

Later, a subtle competitive relationship developed between them, and Yong Sheng directly switched to Xin Bao.

Film studios and Tangde Pictures are also among those being courted by Xinbao Cinemas.

Previously, out of consideration for their familial ties with Golden Princess, Tsui Hark and Tang Lung had been collaborating with Golden Princess Cinemas.

Now that they themselves no longer want to do it, the two of them naturally have no psychological burden in cooperating with Xinbao Cinemas.

Chen Rongmei and Feng Bingzhong are very good at interpersonal relationships. As the first film to be made in cooperation with Tangde Film Industry, they gave "SPL: Sha Po Lang" a lot of support.

The entire network will be showing "SPL: Sha Po Lang" for a week, even during off-peak times such as midnight and early morning screenings.

Since major cinema chains converted their theaters into multiplex cinemas, the term "simultaneous screening of multiple theaters," which was very popular in the film industry in the 1970s and 80s, has not appeared for a long time.

Previously, each theater had only one screen, and only one movie could be shown at any given time.

A simultaneous screening across multiple distribution channels is the highest form of support for a film.

Nowadays, multiplex cinemas have multiple screens, and multiple films can be shown at the same time. It is rare to see a continuous screening of all films.

Xinbao Cinemas gave "SPL: Sha Po Lang" a week-long run, which can be considered a gift to Tangde Pictures as a token of their cooperation.

Besides the support in terms of screenings, posters for "SPL: Sha Po Lang" covered almost the entire theater, with only a few seats reserved for the film that was already showing.

All the televisions in the cinema were playing the promotional trailer for "SPL: Sha Po Lang" on a loop.

These things used to cost money, but now they're all free.

There's definitely a reason why Chan Wing-mei and Fung Ping-chung were able to become cinema tycoons in Hong Kong.

At the very least, Tang Long felt very comfortable with their methods of winning him over.

On August 15th, "Once Upon a Time in China II" ended its run at the box office with HK$30.8 million.

"Sha Po Lang" has officially launched its full-scale promotional campaign.

Tang Long is very invested in this movie.

This film pioneered a new genre.

If the box office is a huge success, it's not just about making money.

It can also greatly enhance Tang Long's influence and industry status, allowing him to officially join the ranks of Hong Kong's top superstars.

Although there is no clear division of star levels in Hong Kong, people will look at their status.

Currently, only three top-tier celebrities in the industry are recognized as having both fame and box office appeal: Chow Yun-fat, Stephen Chow, and Jackie Chan.

The box office appeal of former big names like Hui Kwan-man, Hung Kam-pao, and Hui Kwan-kit has declined significantly, and they have fallen from their top star status.

Of course, their status in the industry remains, and no one dares to underestimate them.

Tang Lung has been on a rapid rise in the past two years, but he still lags behind Cheng Lung, Chow Yun-fat, and Stephen Chow.

The term "two Chows and one Cheng" has already been used, but it hasn't reached a consensus yet.

Don't underestimate this title. Once it's called "Eternal Love," it's not just a guarantee of box office success; it will gradually become a representative of Hong Kong cinema in people's minds.

Just like the Four Heavenly Kings, when we think of Hong Kong's popular culture, the first thing that comes to mind is the Four Heavenly Kings.

Similarly, when we mention Hong Kong films now, the first thing that comes to mind is Stephen Chow, Chow Yun-fat, and Jackie Chan.

If Tang Long wants to break into the competition, he must have his own representative work.

Although he is a representative figure of the new martial arts genre, it was Xu Ke who pioneered it.

Another meaning of the title "Double Chow and One Jackie" is that the three of them represent three film genres that cannot be surpassed.

Jackie Chan represents action comedy and death-defying stunts.

Audiences buy tickets not only to see the story, but also to witness his daring stunts on shopping mall chandeliers, hovercrafts, and volcanoes.

Chow Yun-fat represents chivalry and gunfight aesthetics, and embodies male hormones.

Trench coat, sunglasses, dual pistols, slow motion—he defined what it means to be handsome and loyal.

Stephen Chow is a representative of nonsensical comedy and grassroots success stories.

He deconstructed everything to tell the stories of countless ordinary people's dreams of turning their lives around, making all the working people in Hong Kong laugh out loud in the movie theater.

Through "SPL: Sha Po Lang," Tang Long aims to make his peers and audiences realize that he, Tang Long, is a representative of the perfect fusion of real combat and cinematic aesthetics.

Every punch lands with a visceral impact, making it more realistic, faster, and more ruthless.

Since there are four Heavenly Kings, then "Double Dragons and Double Cycles" would obviously sound better.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the fact that "SPL" performs well at the box office.

Only with good box office results can one speak with confidence.

Therefore, Tang Long directly allocated five million Hong Kong dollars for the promotion of "Sha Po Lang".

This is already quite common in Hong Kong today.

When "Aces Go Places" was released, it caused such a huge stir, but the publicity cost was only a little over three million.

This is not the future; the marketing budget is higher than the production cost.

Hong Kong is just a city; a few million Hong Kong dollars can be spent to cover the entire city and make most people aware of "SPL: Sha Po Lang".

This movie.

After a two-week blitz of promotional activities, "SPL: Sha Po Lang" held a grand premiere on the evening of September 30th.

This was Tang Long's first premiere that he organized himself, and it was also a showcase of his connections.

Needless to say, Xu Ke, Wu Siyuan, and Cheng Xiaodong are among those mentioned.

Lin Qingxia, who collaborated with Tang Long on three films, was the first to attend in full regalia.

Zhang Xueyou, one of his few friends in the industry, naturally came to support him. He also had a cameo role in the movie.

Then there's Jackie Chan, with whom I previously collaborated on "Twin Dragons," and the two have established a good relationship.

Moreover, there are the two connections between Tang Jili and Hong Jinbao.

Rosamund Kwan, Lau Ka-ling, and Wong Cho-han were naturally present.

Rosamund Kwan came with Jet Li; they were filming "Once Upon a Time in China III".

Liu Jialing and Wang Zuxian came as a group with Zhang Guorong and Liang Jiahui.

Of course, Leung Ka-fai was one of the main creators of the film, while Cheung Ko-wing was a good friend of Lau Ka-ling and Wong Tsu-han. He wasn't very familiar with Tang Lung, but they were at least acquaintances.

Upon receiving the invitation, he came along with the others.

They are currently filming "Ashes of Time" in mainland China.

As for whether the three women would fight, Tang Long couldn't care less anymore.

Heung Wa-shing, who received the invitation, gladly attended and brought along Wong Jing, Stephen Chow, Cheung Man, and Andy Lau to show his support.

Tang Long also used his connections from his mentors to bring in Wu Yusheng and Chow Yun-fat through the introduction of Huo Long and Tang Jia.

Lin Zhengying, Hui Yinghong and her brother, as well as Dong Wei, Zhong Fa and others, are all key figures in the industry.

If John Lone hadn't been in the United States, Tang Long would have definitely sent him an invitation.

The numerous media reporters squatting at the theater entrance were all speechless as they watched the popular celebrities appear one after another.

"The production team for 'SPL' is really something else! Almost half of the entertainment industry is here."

"Wow, this guest lineup is even better than the Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony."

"It seems that Tang Long attaches great importance to this 'Sha Po Lang' movie. In order to make a big splash, he is willing to incur so many favors."

"Didn't you see the publicity a while ago? It was everywhere. He spent 300,000 yuan in just seven days at our Oriental Daily News."

"Do you think Tang Long will lose face if 'SPL' flops at the box office?" a reporter from the Daily News said with a smile.

"Judging from the trailers, it shouldn't be a flop. This movie is a bit different; the fight scenes gave me goosebumps."

"Hey, where are you guys going?"

"Get in."

"How did you get in?"

"Just because I'm chatting with you guys for a bit doesn't mean you think we're on the same level, does it?"

After saying this, reporters from several major newspapers, including Oriental Daily News, Ming Pao, and Sing Tao Daily, walked happily into the cinema.

Inside the venue, many colleagues gathered together, chatting in groups of two or three.

"Ah Long, have you finished filming 'Police Story 3'?"

"Just finished filming, bro. You guys really went all out for this premiere."

Sammo Hung laughed and said, "This movie is very sharp. You should know something about it from Tong Chi-lee. It may be a movie comparable to your 'The Fearless Hyena'."

"The Fist of Fury" is a pioneering work in the genre of kung fu comedy.

"It seems Tang Long has big ambitions."

"How could someone so young not be ambitious? We were like that when we were young too."

On the other side, watching Tang Long flit about like a butterfly, Li Haisheng couldn't help but sigh, "Back then, Ah Long was just a lowly martial arts instructor. I never imagined that in less than three years, he would grow to this level."

"Haha, it's all thanks to your excellent teaching."

"It was his own ability, but to be honest, the support he received from you, his uncle, was the most crucial factor."

"To be honest, I didn't expect him to succeed. My initial thought was just to support him."

It made him realize that film investment is not so simple, and after encountering setbacks, he was able to be more grounded.

Completely unexpected! The Tang family has produced a prodigy! Hahaha!

Tang Jia laughed heartily in front of his old friend.

"By the way, Hoi-Sheng, how's your time at TVB?"

"That's it, I play supporting roles, I don't make big money, but it's stable, and I don't have to work as hard as before."

"Ah Long has asked you to come to Tangde Film Studio several times, but you just won't come. Isn't acting in movies more interesting than acting in TV dramas?"

"It's the same everywhere. I can't fight very well anymore. Filming TV dramas suits me better."

Seeing that Tang Jia was about to persuade him again, Li Haisheng interrupted, "Alright, stop talking. Take a seat. Ah Long is about to go on stage."