Member Fist Of Boss Posted November 20, 2011 Member Share Posted November 20, 2011 My question is WHY weren't the Venom's (and films) more popular in Hong Kong? Cast? Subject? or?? Cast...taiwanese actors were not warmly accepted by HK audience. But Mona Fong and Run Run& Run Me were extremely happy with speed CC and venom team made those movies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member blue_skies Posted November 20, 2011 Member Share Posted November 20, 2011 Cast...taiwanese actors were not warmly accepted by HK audience. But Mona Fong and Run Run& Run Me were extremely happy with speed CC and venom team made those movies. Other reasons could be new trends, lack of promotion with other stars movies being promoted heavier. Having said that I think you're probably right about the Taiwanese actors not being accepted. Even today 30 years on Wu Jing experienced discrimination because he's a mainland actor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fist Of Boss Posted November 20, 2011 Member Share Posted November 20, 2011 Other reasons could be new trends, lack of promotion with other stars movies being promoted heavier. Having said that I think you're probably right about the Taiwanese actors not being accepted. Even today 30 years on Wu Jing experienced discrimination because he's a mainland actor. New wave(where people fly, swords and palms shoot energy flash etc..) martial arts came to vogue few years later after venoms entered. Might be there was not enoug promotion but that is unfortunate. Uhm, kungfu comedy entered around 1978 tho.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member odioustrident Posted November 20, 2011 Member Share Posted November 20, 2011 It might sound crazy but the Venoms crew, albeit not a household name, is not that far from Jackie/Jet Li/Sammo in terms of popularity in New York. Most of the guys I've seen in Chinatown looking for films are looking for Venoms titles. The Stiller kiosks typically have the Venoms front and center next to Jackie etc... At least three or four NY non-rap music acts, across the genres, have songs or albums titled Five Deadly Venoms! People I talk to about kung fu mention the Venoms before anyone really. The films were popular outside of Wu Tang Clan's promotion. Certainly not a mainstream fanbase but closer than you would think; they're at the really high end of cult status here. In regards to Venoms' popularity outside the West.... I had thought Taiwan retained a lot of its audience for Peking Opera when HK started to lose it.... Might be wrong on that but there are a lot of assumptions in this thread already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member blue_skies Posted November 20, 2011 Member Share Posted November 20, 2011 New wave(where people fly, swords and palms shoot energy flash etc..) martial arts came to vogue few years later after venoms entered. Might be there was not enoug promotion but that is unfortunate. Uhm, kungfu comedy entered around 1978 tho.... yes I was actually thinking more about Jackie Chan's mix of kung fu and comedy perhaps being the new trend around the time of the venoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fanboy1991 Posted November 20, 2011 Member Share Posted November 20, 2011 Venoms films typically would sell around one million tickets at best. Lau sifus films would do any where from 2 to 9 million. Jackie Chan's films like Drunken master could do 5 million to his 80's films doing up to 35 million. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted April 10, 2012 Member Share Posted April 10, 2012 I often think the Venoms were pigeonholed too much in the HK market by the vast majority of their films only being released in Mandarin, at a time when Sammo, Jackie and Lau Kar Leung was making Cantonese movies. Also, Lo Meng got more exposure by being in other director's movies but I don't think Chiang Sheng or Lu Feng worked outside of Chang Cheh whilst they were in Hong Kong. And most of the Venoms films were serious. Very few of them were comedies. Given the way the HK market had swung in favour of Cantonese comedy - heck, Michael Hui whooped Bruce's ass in 73 and Jackie's ass in '78, regardless of what Jackie's official books tell you - I think the Venoms were a niche before they got started. Does anyone know if they were more popular in Taiwan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted April 10, 2012 Member Share Posted April 10, 2012 ... heck, Michael Hui whooped Bruce's ass in 73 and Jackie's ass in '78, regardless of what Jackie's official books tell you - ... RE: Jackie: It depends on how you tally it up, but it doesn't seem much of an ass whooping. The Contract made more (according to HKFA, the different was about 1M HK$ with 7.8 to 6.7) than Drunken Master, but Jackie easily pulled in more box office since he was in several films that year (though two were really successful and the rest was less so). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cognoscente Posted May 18, 2021 Member Share Posted May 18, 2021 On 9/2/2010 at 11:47 PM, dionbrother said: It is also possible that some films got a different response in Chinatown theaters across the US and Europe than in Hong Kong. Doesn't seem to be any database tallying such numbers. EASTERN CONDORS bombed in HK but did well in some US Chinatowns. It still surprises me when some films aren't as well-received in HK as they are in the West. Righting Wrongs, Hard-Boiled and Fist of Legend should have been bigger hits over there. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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