A tour by well-known Japanese-American magician Cyril Takayama in Hong Kong last year has become the centre of a legal dispute, with one organiser suing the other over the division of profits.
Sun Entertainment Group, a co-organiser of magic show Cyril 'Believe' Tour in Hong Kong, filed a claim against G Music yesterday, accusing it of failing to refund its investment for the shows and refusing to disclose the accounting details of the programme, according to a writ Sun Entertainment submitted to the High Court. It demanded HK$1.4 million from G Music as compensation and asked for a court order to force G Music to disclose accounting records detailing the expenditure and profits for the shows.
Cyril is an illusionist who made his name in Japan, thanks to his street performances in Tokyo that became hits on YouTube, earning him the tag 'the Cyber Magician'. He was chosen as the 'Magician of the Year' at the 39th Annual Academy of Magical Arts Awards in Hollywood in 2007.
According to the court filing, Sun Entertainment signed a contract with G Music last February to jointly bring the Cyril magic show to Hong Kong. Sun Entertainment agreed to chip in about HK$1.7 million, while G Music would invest around HK$4 million. Both agreed that they would share the profit and expenses in proportion to their investment. The shows took place between July 30 and August 1 last year.
Sun Entertainment later accused G Music of failing to provide it with relevant accounting information within two weeks after the shows, as stipulated in the contract.
After repeated demands from Sun Entertainment, G Music gave it only a 'simple internal accountant's report'. Sun Entertainment said it was 'incomprehensible and inadequate' for them to verify the report. G Music ignored further requests for records, the writ said.