It seems Hongkongers prefer the spicy taste of Tom Yum Goong over the sugary sweetness of chocolate. In what was probably a surprise result to most people in the film biz, the indie Thai actioner starring Muey Thai fighter Tony Jaa delivered an elbow to the head of Tim Burton's magical fantasy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Both films opened on the same weekend. Yet, Tom Yum Goong grossed a stunning $152,656 on its opening day. By comparison, Charlie was shown on six more screens but only made $123,572. You can say Willy Wonka got walloped! Over one week, Tom Yum Goong topped the box-office chart, grossing $5,198,273 compared with Charlie's $4,892,423.
Still, a quick scan of this week's movie figures reveals chocolate may have longer-lasting appeal. After 11 days on cinema screens, the Johnny Depp movie finally topped Tom Yum Goong, with $10,325,534 in tickets compared to $9,394,896. A local production even beat Tom Yum Goong for the week. That film's soupy title? Drink Drank Drunk.
