Although it may be a bit early to declare a full-blown revival of Hong Kong cinema, the first three months of the year have been encouraging for the local film industry. Apart from a few weeks in which The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Thai kickboxing flick, Ong-Bak, held sway, Hong Kong movies have topped the box office every week.
And while we haven't seen any hits of the magnitude of Infernal Affairs, there have been a number of strong performers in the past three months, including Lunar New Year comedies Fantasia and Magic Kitchen, romantic drama Leaving Me, Loving You and the Pang brothers' chiller The Eye 2.
The upcoming Easter holiday (March 9) also looks promising, with two big Chinese movies set for release. In one corner is China Star's romantic comedy, Love on the Rocks, starring Louis Koo Tin-lok, Gigi Leung Wing-kei and Charlene Choi Cheuk-yin. Directed by Chan Hing-ka - who last year turned out comedy hits
Good Times, Bed Times and Naked Ambition - the film is about a couple who have a trial separation that ends at Easter.
In the other corner is Stephen Fung Tak-lun's Enter the Phoenix, an action comedy starring Daniel Wu as the gay son of a triad kingpin. Adrian Kwan's Christian-themed movie The Miracle Box - presumably a less graphic religious offering than Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ - will also be released at Easter.
However, local film executives aren't cracking open the bubbly just yet. 'Box office returns seem to be improving,' says China Star's general manager of distribution, Ann Hung. 'But we have to wait until summer to really get an idea of how local films are performing.'