Dissecting Cinema City

Dusk. A suite at the Peninsula Hotel. This was a room Raymond Chow kept on a long-term reservation, lent to Hong Jinbao and Jackie Chan for talking business. The two were still feeling a bit uneasy, feeling around here and there as if dreading some hidden contraption. After searching for a while, Jackie Chan began to feel downright foolish. "Are we crazy? What the hell are we doing? No matter how resourceful that guy is, can he really hide a camera in this room?" "You never know. He's got imperial bodyguards around him, coming and going without a trace..." As Hong Jinbao said it, he too felt rather stupid. Giving up the foolish search, he sank onto the sofa, uncorked a bottle of foreign liquor, poured a glass, and downed it in one gulp. He sighed. "How about you this year? Got any plans?" "None! If Taiwan calls for me, I go. Japan wants me for a cameo, so I've got to go there too. It's all favors and social obligations. I don't even have a clue about my own picture yet. What about you?" "Same here. Not a clue." During the Chinese New Year slot earlier that year, Golden Harvest had suffered a crushing defeat. Jackie Chan had yet to recover from the setback of *Dragon Lord*. Hong Jinbao had done decently well with *Beware of Pickpockets*, but that was nowhere near enough to counter Cinema City. Golden Harvest operated on a satellite-company system. Michael Hui, Hong Jinbao, Yuen Woo-ping, and others had all established their own companies. This model supported Golden Harvest's massive structure, and whatever work they produced counted as part of the Golden Harvest camp. Yet even so, none of them could beat Cinema City. Hong Jinbao in particular had originally been slated to make *The Dead and the Deadly* this year, only for Chen Qi to hand it over to Yuen Woo-ping. Golden Harvest was holding onto it to share the summer slot with Shaw Brothers in a joint effort against their common enemy. As the two chatted, time slipped by. Punctual knocking sounded outside the door. Hong Jinbao went over to open it, and the visitor was indeed Chen Qi, carrying a gift box in his arms. "Not late, am I?" "Just in time. Please, come in, come in!" "A small token, hardly worthy of respect!" Chen Qi handed the gift box to Hong Jinbao and shook hands with Jackie Chan. Jackie Chan was twenty-eight this year, at the peak of his physical prime, sporting the mid-length, slightly wavy hair from *Dragon Lord*. His double eyelids had been done long ago, and his prominent nose was exceptionally striking—the very look later generations knew so well. "Mr. Chen, a pleasure to finally meet you!" The two exchanged pleasantries. Hong Jinbao opened the gift box, pulled out a bottle of red wine, and said, "I thought you'd bring Moutai." "Moutai wouldn't be appropriate. This is an '81 Lafite, very good quality. Once this year's grapes are harvested and fermented, you two might want to cellar a few bottles. Genuine '82 Lafite—it's going to appreciate." He was dropping an inside joke that only he understood. Thinking he was genuinely talking wine, Jackie Chan smiled. "Mr. Chen, you're really not like the mainlanders I imagined. You seem more like an American." "Hey, don't talk nonsense. I'll get disciplined when I go back." Hong Jinbao had already opened the wine and ordered some food at random. They drank as they talked. Jackie Chan had wanted to meet him for a long time and was endlessly curious about him. "Ever since Mr. Chen arrived in Hong Kong, every word out of your mouth makes waves. You write predictions in the papers and never seem to miss. If you don't mind me asking, are you really, uh..." "Oh, first of all, it's not feudal superstition. I just reach my conclusions by analyzing all kinds of data." Chen Qi knew what he wanted to ask. He put on an act, letting it simmer for a few seconds, then stared at him. "Take you, for instance. You're going to have a son this year!" Huh? Jackie Chan froze, wanting to press for details, but Chen Qi let out a laugh. "Just joking, don't take it seriously. Let's talk business!" Business, of course, meant Cinema City. "Everyone knows Cinema City is making money, but nobody analyzes why, let alone does market research. Who is their audience? Hong Kong's film industry looks prosperous on the surface, but in reality it's far too crude." "Then why doesn't Mr. Chen enlighten us?" "It's actually very simple!" Without standing on ceremony, Chen Qi began to lay out the realm—or rather, Jiang Shan... *(Jiang Shan: Huh?)* "First is genre. Cinema City's pictures can be called modern luxury comedies. 'Modern' lies in fashion, and 'luxury' lies in production value. Their protagonists have broken away from the pathetic, laughable underdogs of traditional comedy; instead, they build on stylishness, elite glamour, hedonism, and pop culture. "What is your *Dragon Lord* about? Local mob disputes in the late Qing and early Republic! "And what is their *Aces Go Places* about? Interpol duking it out with diamond thieves, a mafia don making a cameo, a dazzling array of high-tech gadgets, and big-budget spectacle spending money like water. How can you compete with that? Yours is as rustic as dirt!" "You!" Jackie Chan clenched his fists, yet found himself powerless to refute it. That was the most infuriating thing about this guy. "Second is the status of female characters. In your movies, women are just ornaments that the audience forgets the moment they leave the theater. But will anyone forget Sylvia Chang in *Aces Go Places*? No, because she's a real female lead. "Cinema City's films are packed with romance, jealousy, and flirting. There has to be chemistry and back-and-forth between men and women—that's what the audience wants to see. "Third is the audience. "The demographic is getting younger now. Teenagers and young adults aged fifteen to twenty-five are the primary consumers. You ignore the market shifts entirely and cling stubbornly to your comfort zone. If your films flop, you have only yourselves to blame! "And finally, story structure. "For a ninety-minute film, they divide it into nine reels. The first reel must seize the audience's attention, the fourth reel must set up a major climax, the seventh reel must arrange another climax, and the ninth reel must deliver the biggest climax of all for the finale. "At the same time, action, comedy, romance, and special effects have to be properly apportioned and meticulously distributed across every reel to guarantee a hook in every scene while sustaining density and rhythm. That is already Hollywood standard. Can you guys pull that off?" "..." Hong Jinbao and Jackie Chan fell silent. Before this, they hadn't understood and had lost in a daze. Only now did they realize that they truly fell short—in every single aspect. "In my view, if you want to break the deadlock, the first thing is to increase your budgets and make blockbusters. Stop dabbling in petty, small-minded affairs. You need big casts, big set pieces, and big spending! "For example, the two of you—why don't you collaborate?" Huh? The two stared blankly. They had only worked together when they first entered the industry, both doing bit parts and stunt work. Later on, their careers diverged. Even though they remained close, neither had ever considered teaming up. Each was a major star capable of carrying the box office on his own; there had never been any need. "These are extraordinary times. Cinema City has beaten you until you're discarding armor and dropping weapons, so what are you still saving face for? Of course you should join forces! Do you have any idea how much influence you'd have if you appeared in the same movie? "A built-in promotional gimmick right there, and you aren't using it? I can't fathom what goes through your heads!" Chen Qi lectured them in an utterly unsparing, 'this is all for your own good' manner. "Beyond the two of you, find a few second-tier stars to form an ensemble cast of protagonists, each with a distinct personality and independent traits. "Find an attractive leading lady to build plenty of banter and comedy with. Don't be afraid of being a bit raunchy—the cheekier it gets, the more the audience loves it. "Weave in a main storyline—hunting for treasure, cracking a case, catching a thief, an adventure, whatever you want. The key is to keep it modern. Stop making late Qing and early Republic stories; they've already got one foot in the grave!" He didn't hand over a script outright, choosing instead to explain the theory. These two would certainly grasp it. Despite starting out as stunt performers, they were actually rare all-round talents in the Hong Kong film industry—producing, directing, screenwriting, action choreography, vehicle stunts, editing, and more; they could handle everything. There would be many films following this template: *Winners and Sinners*, *Wheels on Meals*, *Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars*, *The Millionaires' Express*, and so on, most of them directed by Hong Jinbao and earning massive box-office returns. He didn't mind doing them a favor. *Winners and Sinners* would come out next year anyway; telling them now was merely moving it up a bit. The two exchanged a glance, both clearly tempted. Jackie Chan thought about it, then asked, "Mr. Chen, you've said so much—can doing this really take down Cinema City?"