[2024.02.17] TABLE FOR SIX 2 DIRECTOR SAYS THE MOVIE IS JUST AS GOOD WITHOUT DAYO WONG

Director Sunny Chan feels not having Dayo Wong is not a big problem for TABLE FOR SIX 2.  As long as the movie is made with heart, the audience would still support it

Dayo Wong

Jeffrey Ngai receives praises from director Sunny Chan, who even adds a getting wet scene for him on the spot

Jeffrey Ngai falls for Lin Minchen in the film, laying the ground work for a third film

TABLE FOR SIX 2 has become the Lunar New Year box office champion, which heads for HK$ 30 million
courtesy of mingpao.com

The Sunny Chan Wing Sun directed Lunar New Year film TABLE FOR SIX 2 (FAN HEI GUNG SUM 2) after a week in release has already surpassed HK$ 25 million at the box office. Once worried about this film without Dayo Wong Tze Wa might not be able to follow the success of TABLE FOR SIX's HK$ 77 million box office, Chan Wing Sun said that he has already done his best. The box office performance would depend on the market response. He said that while planning the first film he has already conceived the second film, feeling that as long as he made it with heart the audience would be able to see that. He commended new film star Jeffrey Ngai Chun Sun's performance as an unexpected surprise. As for TABLE 2 laying the ground work for a third film, he pointed out that he had no plan yet so it would not happen in the short run. With two other Lunar New Year films THE MOON THIEVES (DOH YUET JEH) and ROB N ROLL (LUM SI GIP ONG), he hoped that the audience would support all of them for a full bloom.

Before the Chan Sun Wing directed TABLE FOR SIX 2 was released, people not only looked forward to it but also discussed it. They worried without the support of Tze Wa god (Dayo Wong Tze Wa) whether the film would continue the success of the previous film's HK$ 77 million box office. TABLE 2's original team performed, with the only exception being "Big Brother" Wong Tze Wa. Chan Wing Sun explained that because from observing the screenplay development he felt it was viable, without Wong Tze Wa it would be just as good. He said, "I already have come up with the 3 weddings in the film, this time although 'Big Brother" Tze Wa is absent, he has not affected or shaken their weddings. The film is still entertaining, about when they face a major event, the head of the household Tze Wa isn't around; how they face the hardship actually is very interesting."

Chan Wing Sun revealed the reason of making TABLE 2, "This series and this family's drama is worth continuing. Actually when I first started I have already planned to make two movies. When I handed the first film's synopsis to boss (Bill) Kong Chi Keung, he already thought that this story could be made into two parts. So when the first one was released, we were already conceiving the second one." Although many felt that film series would only get worse and worse, Chan Wing Sun disagreed. "I have sequel movies that I like, like with THE GODFATHER and INFERNAL AFFAIRS (MO GAN DOH) the second movies are great. All 4 IP MAN had their positive parts. There's no need to be afraid of making a series film, as long as it is made with heart the audience would be able to see that. Leave the result to the viewers."

TABLE 2 added many family and friend roles, including Bowie Wu Fung, Gardner Tse Kwan Ho, Helena Law Lan, Jeffrey Ngai Chun Sun, Michelle Yim (Mai Suet) and Ling Man Lung. Chan Wing Sun said that the film was harder to handle than the first. "I designed them to play wedding banquet guests, so I have to have actors of certain caliber to perform to be entertaining. With so many people on the set, handling definitely was more complicated than the previous film. In addition I hoped each actor would have their shine, the hardest to handle was the dancing and the fight in the end. This time the contract players and extras were super professional. During editing, I discovered that actors in the very back of the shot still act great. I am moved." Chan Wing Sun praised new film star Ngai Chun Sun's performance as an unexpected surprise. When he added a scene in which Ngai got wet on the spot, Ngai agreed right away.

Ngai Chun Sun in the film fell for Lin Minchen, seemingly leaving ground work for a third film? Chan Wing Sun said, "I don't have any plan, if the third film would happen, it wouldn't happen in a short time. I want to give them time to grow, for now I don't have any plan. (Would Big Brother return to the team then?) I will worry about it then." In the same period were two Hong Kong film releases with MIRROR's Anson Lo Hon Ting, Edan Lui Cheuk On and Keung To starred THE MOON THIEVES (DOH YUET JEH), and the Aaron Kwok Fu Sing, Richie Jen (Yam Yin Chai) and Gordon Lam Ka Tung starred ROB N ROLL (LUM SI GIP ONG), but only TABLE 2 was a comedy. Chan Wing Sun did not sense any special advantage. "To each its own, ROB N ROLL is also a dark comedy. In this era Lunar New Year films don't have to be comedy. Everyone would watch movies based on the movies. I also like the two other films, so I wish everyone would be big hits and for the film industry to be in full bloom."

The 2023 Hong Kong box office was only HK$ 1.43 billion, a 25% drop from 2019 before the pandemic. Veteran filmmaker Tin Kai Man was pessimistic about the future market, but Chan Wing Sun did not want to make any wild guess. "Because we don't know what movies would be made in 2024, but as the people's entertainment formats change they can sit at home and still be able to enjoy movies and series. Drawing an audience to the cinemas would be a little difficult, we have to lure them in. One of the possibilities may be the topical movies I have mentioned, like IN BROAD DAYLIGHT (BAK YUN JI HA) and TIME STILL TURNS THE PAGES (NIN SIU YUT GEI). Both were able to draw in supporters."

Chan Wing Sun likes to write lyrics. This time he wrote the TABLE 2 theme song WE WERE ONCE OLD AND GRAY, which Ivana Wong Yuen Chi composed the music and performed. He said, "Our collaboration was very pleasant, I also wrote the lyrics to the previous film's theme song HATE TO HATE YOU. Wong Yuen Chi also wrote the music and performed that song. Last time she made several changes, this time it was done in one try." The film used the late superstar Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing's song MONICA and the songs the late Lam Chun Keung wrote the lyrics to, Chan Wing Sun said that the royalty was very expensive and well worth the price. "These classic songs were all related to the film, I didn't deliberately put them in. Because Tang Lai Yan's character name is Monica, so of course Cheung Kai Chung proposes to her by singing MONICA. This year just happened to be the 40th anniversary of MONICA, Peter Lai who wrote the lyrics to the song also guest starred. The whole thing became very cute. I like both of the Lam Chun Keung songs. His lyrics had a cute innocence, the one and only, and were very suitable for this movie."