Andy Lau Tak-wah and Tony Leung Chiu-wai are reuniting on the silver screen for the first time in 10 years. Not only are the pair (right) starring in the $40-million thriller Infernal Affairs, but they have also collaborated on the movie's theme song, staying up all night early this week to record Cantonese and Putonghua versions of the track.
Now, it seems their hard work may have been for nothing. The film has been squeezed out of the lucrative Christmas prime slot at local cinemas. After an early opening next week, it will blanket cinemas for a fortnight before making way for flicks such as Hero, Die Another Day and Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets.
Media Asia, the film's producer, is adamant the early opening of Infernal Affairs will not hurt overall earnings. 'There are ways to get around such a tight allotment of screens during the holiday season,' said Chu Yam-chi, Media Asia's deputy general manager. 'We will try to open the film on 60 screens next week, and by Christmas, even after cutting back, we expect Infernal Affairs will be showing on at least 40 screens to squeeze any remaining juice from the box office.'