Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) is set to release comedy Everything Under Control over the Chinese New Year period in mid-January 2023, buoyed by the recent commercial success of a string of Hong Kong productions.
It marks the second feature of director Ying Chi Wen and stars popular Hong Kong singer Hins Cheung in his second leading film role, Ivana Wong of recent hit comedy Table For Six and Michael Ning (Port Of Call) along with upcoming actors Jeffrey Ngai and Joey Hung Ka-Ho. Ying’s feature debut is sports comedy Life Must Go On, starring Ekin Cheng, which remains on release in Hong Kong cinemas.
Production is underway on Everything Under Control, in which two security guards travel to a remote village to retrieve stolen diamonds, where they encounter a ghost and motley band of villagers.
It is a remake of 2021 Taiwanese film Treat Or Trick, for which EMP acquired the Cantonese-language remake rights from Taiwan’s Third Man Entertainment. The Taiwanese film, directed by Hsu Fu-Hsiang, was a remake of 2004 Korean horror comedy To Catch A Virgin Ghost.
The new production following a series of recent local hits for EMP that include Mama’s Affair. The family comedy drama featuring the film debuts of stars Keung To and Jer Lau from popular boyband Mirror, has grossed $5m (almost HK$40m) at the Hong Kong box office, making it the third highest grossing local film of 2022 to date.
AFM titles
Meanwhile, EMP is set to begin sales on two high-profile Hong Kong-China co-productions at the AFM this week. The Hong Kong-based studio will operate out of the Loews Hotel, marking its first physical market in three years.
Bursting Point is a $25.5m (HK$200m) anti-narcotics action thriller starring Nick Cheung, William Chan and Isabella Leong. Director Dante Lam of mainland Chinese blockbusters Operation Red Sea and The Battle At Lake Changjin is producing for the first time. The film marks the feature directorial debut of Calvin Tong and is in production in Malaysia after wrapping filming in Hong Kong.
The second new title is crime drama Under Current, starring Aaron Kwok and Francis Ng as a barrister and a police officer who form an unlikely partnership to investigate a reputable charity foundation after the disappearance of a large sum of donations. The film is directed by Alan Mak of the Overheard film series and is in post-production.
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