DESPITE a rise in admissions, Hong Kong film-makers took another battering at the box office in 1997, with the gross for Cantonese-language films falling below overseas productions for the first time since industry figures were first recorded.
Local production was down by 22 per cent - it has more than halved since 1994.
With 90 Cantonese-language films screened last year, Hong Kong is no longer the third-largest producer of movies in the world.
The number of tickets sold in 1997 increased for the first time since 1992, notching a 21 per cent gain, according to Motion Picture Industry Association figures.
And admissions to Hong Kong films also rose by 27 per cent - but circuits showing local films have slashed prices to attract viewers.
Coupled with a special offer of $30 for all films on Tuesdays, this forced the box office take for Hong Kong films down by 16 per cent to $574.6 million. Movies from overseas notched up a slim increase of 7.4 per cent to $608.2 million.
