Thu, 17 May 2012 15:34 PM (HKT)

Black & White loses during elections

Black & White loses during elections

By Stephen Cremin

Mon, 16 January 2012, 17:00 PM (HKT)

Box Office News

Ambitious action-comedy Black & White Episode I: The Dawn of Assault 痞子英雄首部曲：全面開戰 opened with a disappointing NT$6.8 million ($227,000) in Taipei over the three-day weekend.

Box office income was likely impacted by Saturday's closely-contested national elections, moved up from an original March date. Overall box office income fell by approximately 15% on the previous weekend in the capital.

Black & White's 153 minute length — with major scenes still running through the end credits — would also have reduced the total number of screenings at the 22 cinemas it played in Taipei over the weekend.

In Oct 2010, the budget of the film was announced as $11.7 million, up from a previously announced $4.7 million. Producers shipped in a Boeing 747 piece-by-piece from Los Angeles for climactic action scenes.

Despite starring China's HUANG Bo 黃渤 and Angelababy 楊穎, the film does not have Mainland co-production status and it is believed to have no major sales deals in place at this time.

Huang plays a local gangster who is entangled in a military conspiracy when he smuggles diamonds into Taiwan; arrested by suspended cop Hero Wu (Mark CHAO 趙又廷), they team up to prevent the detonation of a deadly energy weapon.

Two other Taiwan-produced films on release at the weekend also performed poorly. Like Black & White, supported by Warner Bros (Taiwan) Inc 華納兄弟 (遠東) 股份有限公司臺灣分公司, both are distributed with the help of the local offices of US majors.

In previews, Twentieth Century Fox (Taiwan) Inc 美商二十世紀福斯影片公司's vibrant coming-of-age drama Din Tao: Leader of the Parade 陣頭 took NT$910,000 ($30,400) on 20 screens in the capital. It officially opens on 20 Jan.

In its first official weekend in cinemas, UIP (Taiwan) 美商美國環球影片股份有限公司台灣分公司's Flying Dragon, Dancing Phoenix 龍飛鳳舞２０１２ took NT$600,000 ($20,000) on 19 screens. Including last weekend's previews, it has made double that.

Black & White can't be completely written off just yet. Last year, Night Market Hero 雞排英雄 opened on NT$5 million ($167,000) in Taipei but ended its run with just over ten times that amount on positive word of mouth.

The weekend's weakest opening was China/Hong Kong co-production Legendary Amazons 楊門女將之軍令如山, taking NT$46,585 ($1,550) on a single screen release by Sky Films Entertainment Co Ltd 華映娛樂股份有限公司.