[2010.02.18] 72 TENANTS OF PROSPERITY CATCHES UP AND BEATS ALL'S WELL ENDS WELL TOO 2010

Wong Cho Nam

courtesy of singtao.com

Leung Ka Ki, Wong Cho Nam, Leanne Li

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of takungpao.com

This year the main competition is between two Lunar New Year comedy films 72 TENANTS OF PROSPERITY (72 GA JO HAT) and ALL'S WELL ENDS WELL TOO 2010 (FA TIN HEI SI 2010). Before their release Raymond Wong Pak Ming and Eric Tsang Chi Wai already had battles of words. On opening day, ALL'S got a head start and performed better than its opponents. After a few days of Lunar New Year holidays, the situation changed as second place 72 TENANTS OF PROSPERITY instead took the lead. From the Lunar New Year's Eve to the Lunar 3rd, it made over 9 million at the box office and exceeded the second place ALL'S WELL ENDS WELL TOO's 6 million by 3 million. However 72's cumulative box office has already successfully broken through 10 million. Seemingly ALL's will have some difficulty with catching up.

The Hong Kong Theatres Association yesterday announced the top five film box office of the Lunar New Year. In first place was 72 TENANTS OF PROSPERITY with HK$9,850,222, in second was ALL'S with 6,572,834 (but its cumulative box office was already over 9 million), PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF was in third with 6,363,257. TRUE LEGEND (SO HAK YI) was in fourth place with 4,764,931 and in fifth was AVATAR. Despite how long ago it was released it still made 4,462,577. Another Lunar New Year action film, the Donnie Yen Chi Tan and Kate Tsui Tsz Shan starred 14 BLADES (GUM YI WAI), fell out of the top five. This year the Lunar New Year film performed better than last year. The first place 72 TENANTS OF PROSPERITY after 4 days was close to 10 million, while last year's champion ALL'S WELL ENDS WELL 2009 (GA YAU HEI SI 2009) made 8 million over the same four days. This year the film industry has been blooming during the Lunar New Year.

Wong Cho Nam was very happy to learn about 72's success and even boasted, "Now ALL'S probably won't be able to catch up because we passed 10 million. The only regret they got the first laugh on the first day. Now we are waiting for (Eric Tsang Chi Wai) to come back and get the last laugh." Cho Nam expressed that he has reported the box office results daily to Chi Wai. Now he hoped that the film will soon break 20 million, when Tsang Chi Wai promised to take everyone on a holiday. He said that the film had 170 actors, a cruise would be the best.