movie buff

BLOCKBUSTERS - 1997-2001

The period from 1997 to 2001 marked the downturn of local cinema. The number of productions made each year dropped from 200 during the industry's heyday in the 1980s to about 100 in 1998.

The following are the local box-office winners from each year. Each represents a shift in style as local filmmakers tried to adapt to the difficult work environment.

1997: Jackie Chan's Mr. Nice Guy sees the star play a TV chef who accidentally switches his cooking videos with footage of an illegal drug trade filmed by a journalist. It grossed over HK$45 million at the box office.

But the film marked the decline of Chan's popularity locally. Not one of his films - whether Hollywood or local productions - has managed to hit the top spot since.

1998: Directed by Andrew Lau Wai-keung, Storm Riders was adapted from a martial arts comic book story by Ma Wing-shing. It was the most expensive and popular movie of the year, grossing about HK$41 million at the box office.

With amazing special effects and a stellar cast including Ekin Cheng Yee-kin and Aaron Kwok Fu-shing as the iconic warriors Wind and Cloud, the film established Lau as an A-list director.