Chapter 159: A Box Office Triumph from the Start

Men, there isn't a single good one among them! Rosamund Kwan watched as Fatty Wong tricked Fonna away, letting out a soft hump. Her gaze seemed to intentionally or unintentionally glare at Yan Xu before she grabbed Joey Wong, who was standing beside Yan Xu. Little sister, come on, let's go inside too!

Hey, you're quite good at hiding things. As several people successively walked toward the screening hall, Jackie Chan deliberately slowed his pace, walked up to Yan Xu, and looked at him mysteriously.

What's wrong? Yan Xu was somewhat baffled by Jackie Chan's sudden remark.

You don't need to hide it from me. I'm a man too, and a seasoned veteran in the romantic field. I can see through certain things at a glance. Originally, I wanted to make a move myself, but I didn't expect you to have plucked her first. Jackie Chan glanced with his eyes at Joey Wong, who was walking ahead arm-in-arm with Rosamund Kwan.

Hehe! Yan Xu smiled slightly and did not deny anything.

However, as a friend, I want to give you some advice. You're different from me. You'd better handle the relationship between the two of you and Ah Min very carefully. A single mistake and you'll end up empty-handed. Both you and Ah Min are my friends, and I certainly don't want to see any friction between you two. Jackie Chan said in a low voice. His wife and children were in the United States, so whatever he did in Hong Kong would never be discovered by his wife.

Got it! Yan Xu nodded slightly. Enjoying the blessings of multiple women was not an easy task to handle.

Hey, what are you two guys whispering about over there? Just as Yan Xu's voice trailed off, a thunderous, hearty voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

Senior Brother! Seeing who had arrived, even the usually bold and unrestrained Jackie Chan couldn't help but become constrained, calling out with the utmost respect.

Big Brother Sammo! Seeing the newcomer, Yan Xu wore a smile. Although not as reverent as Jackie Chan, he still maintained a humble demeanor.

The newcomer was none other than the big brother of the film industry, Sammo Hung. Because of shooting Millionaire's Express, he had lost a great deal of weight, but even so, his build still made him a heavyweight figure.

Although Jackie Chan had achieved a certain level of success and was extremely flamboyant most of the time, his flamboyance completely vanished in front of Sammo Hung. Partly because the impression this senior brother left on him during their training days was too profound—he had been beaten quite a lot by Sammo Hung—and partly because during the previous few years when he couldn't find his own style and his career was on a downward slide, it was largely thanks to Sammo Hung's promotion and support.

I was just discussing with Lung-gor about his newly filmed movie, Armour of God. It seems they are about to wrap up filming soon. Yan Xu was unwilling to have his affair with Joey Wong become common knowledge, so he casually made up a topic.

Yuen-lo, you've been a bit slow in shooting this movie. My film has already entered post-production, and now it's mid-December. Will the subsequent production be able to catch up for the January release? Hearing that Jackie Chan's film had not yet wrapped up, Sammo Hung asked with some concern. Although their two movies were scheduled for the same January release slot and belonged to competing factions, competition in box office was competition, and it didn't affect the bond between them as martial arts brothers.

Shouldn't be any problem. The script and storyboard provided by Ah Xu are laid out very well, making editing much easier. Jackie Chan quickly replied.

That's right, both of your films are scheduled for release at the end of January. This year's New Year blockbuster battle is going to be much more exciting. Big Brother Sammo, I heard you let it slip that this movie's box office will exceed twenty-five million! Yan Xu looked at the two of them. Starting from the previous year, competition between the two had begun, ranging from box office figures to action choreography.

Pretty much so. I have a lot of confidence in this movie. Sammo Hung said, full of self-assurance. Although the storyline of this film was slightly loose, it could be said to be packed with an all-star cast. For this movie, Sammo Hung even rolled around bare-chested in the snow. Moreover, the filming period coincided with the most glorious era of the Hung Stunt Team, and with plenty of comedic elements, it would definitely draw a massive audience during the New Year season.

Yuen-lo, how about you? Sammo Hung asked, looking at Yuen-lo at the same time.

My expected box office is at least twenty-five million or more. Sammo Hung was full of confidence, and naturally, Jackie Chan was not going to be left behind.

Oh? So confident? Sammo Hung raised an eyebrow, not expecting Jackie Chan's expectations to match his own.

With two films releasing in the same season, it was inevitable they would compete for audiences. According to their projections, the box office of these two films alone would exceed fifty million. Meanwhile, Cinema City's Aces Go Places IV, released during the same period, was also a massive box office monster, pulling in at least twenty million. Added to that was Direction, generally favored by the industry, meaning these four films alone would hit a hundred million at the box office. One had to remember that the total box office for the previous New Year battle was only around sixty million. Although Hong Kong's economy was developing rapidly and ticket prices had risen, increasing the total by forty million overnight was still not very realistic.

Yeah! Jackie Chan nodded solemnly. Although his film didn't have as vast an all-star cast as Sammo Hung's, it featured the participation of Alan Tam. Everyone knew Alan Tam was a singer, and since his film focused primarily on action choreography, many people must have been curious about what kind of sparks would fly between the two of them.

You've got guts. We'll see when the box office results come out! Sammo Hung said.

Why don't you two make a bet? Seeing how seriously the two of them took the box office competition, Yan Xu quickly chimed in.

How should we bet? Yan Xu's words instantly caught their interest. Coming from a background of stuntmen and martial artists, very few didn't like gambling; gambling on film sets had been an everyday occurrence for them back in the day.

You can bet that whoever wins treats the other to lobsters and double-headed abalones in Australia. Yan Xu said.

Why should the winner be the one to treat? As soon as Yan Xu finished speaking, Jackie Chan took over the conversation.

Of course the winner has to treat. The loser has already lost at the box office; we certainly can't make them suffer financial losses on top of that. I'll act as your witness.

Alright, this idea is good. Let's do it! Sammo Hung nodded. Then I'd better prepare myself to lose some money.

What money are you going to lose? Over the years, I've rarely treated you to a meal; this time, it's on me. Jackie Chan chimed in eagerly.

There's no use arguing about it now. Let's just look at the box office! Sammo Hung smiled and pointed at Yan Xu. I think Ah Xu is the crafty one here. No matter what the outcome is for us, he's guaranteed a meal as our judge.

The moment the lights went out, the entire theater quieted down as well.

A tiny point of light gradually emerged on the pitch-black screen, expanding and slowly bringing the entire screen into clear focus. It was a thick layer of clouds, and the camera quickly pierced through those clouds, revealing a majestic and magnificent sight on the screen—a bird's-eye view of the Great Wall of China. Such a shot had been filmed on location in the Mainland by Yan Xu through Phoenix Motion Picture Company at the cost of hundreds of thousands.

The Great Wall quickly transformed into a golden giant dragon, winding and meandering between mountain peaks, slowly rising into the sky and weaving through the clouds, finally shooting straight into the firmament like a golden rocket. At the very top of the sky, a burst of light flashed, turning into countless bright stars falling to the ground, enveloping the entire earth in a golden glow.

Amidst the dazzling gold filling the screen, a giant dragon coiled around the globe, and the three-dimensional characters Dragon Clan Pictures appeared with a startling impact. This was also the first time Dragon Clan Pictures' logo officially appeared on the big screen.

An opening sequence like this was not only filmed on location in the Mainland but also underwent post-production in the United States. Such a grand scale was rare in this era. Compared to this, the opening sequences of many Hong Kong film companies, which merely consisted of a few flashing words, were entirely incomparable. From this point alone, one could perceive the grand ambitions of Dragon Clan Pictures, delivering an immense shock to the audience.

A burst of cheerful music rang out the moment the opening title faded away. On a pair of streets, a yellow car flew entirely into the air before crashing down onto the ground. Amidst the sparks generated by the friction between the car's chassis and the road, the five characters Rich and Famous appeared on the screen, and the movie began.

The opening scene of Natalis Chan trying to pick up girls immediately triggered waves of laughter. As the plot progressed, the laughter erupting from the audience grew increasingly frequent. Of course, some of the plot details had been altered. For instance, the scene featuring Brother Hao's entrance—since A Better Tomorrow had not yet been released, such a scene was obviously impossible and was replaced with other comedic gags.

Hearing the continuous laughter echoing throughout the hall, Yan Xu knew that Fatty Wong's movie could be considered a success. The entire film was even better than the version Yan Xu had once watched, because beyond the original gags, Wong Jing had added several other comedic devices. These were inspirations Wong Jing had drawn from jokes Yan Xu had told during their usual chats. Although these comedic bits felt somewhat outdated to Yan Xu, they were undoubtedly extremely novel for this era.

Because A Better Tomorrow had not yet been released, all plot elements related to it were absent from the film, but the jokes mocking Mansion Number One had been significantly increased, drawing rolling waves of laughter from the audience.

Observing the audience's reaction in the hall, even though it couldn't yet demonstrate the immense pulling power of Chow Yun-fat, and the film might not reach its original box office revenue of over twenty million, showing across more than twenty theaters simultaneously meant it covered the entirety of Hong Kong. At the very least, it would comfortably surpass ten million, and fifteen million should pose no problem either. This was the Christmas season, and audience numbers vastly exceeded normal periods. In other words, based solely on the local Hong Kong box office, this film would not only easily recoup its production costs, but doubling its profits was not entirely impossible.

A figure like this was already considered a magnificent opening red for Dragon Clan Pictures. Coupled with overseas revenues, it should bring generous profits to the company.

Yan Xu looked at Fatty Wong sitting beside him with an expression of intense excitement. Wong's attention was entirely focused on the audience's reactions. This was Dragon Clan's first film, and also a movie of paramount importance to him. His inner self was nowhere near as relaxed as his outward appearance suggested; from the moment the movie started, his expression fluctuated along with the audience's responses, and he didn't even have the time to flirt with Fonna, the foreign girl sitting next to him.