No blu ray release in hk on the lastest movie

[sgmarine]

Why is Hong Kong keep re-releasing the old movies instead of the latest movies.
There is quite a handful of new movies which I am sure of alot of fans would like to purchase it but so far it seems that there is no release plans from Hong Kong. Anybody know of the reason ?

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by sgmarine

Why is Hong Kong keep re-releasing the old movies instead of the latest movies.
There is quite a handful of new movies which I am sure of alot of fans would like to purchase it but so far it seems that there is no release plans from Hong Kong. Anybody know of the reason ?

Yeah I was wondering on this too. There are several I'm really hanging out for, G Storm (to complete that great series) and Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong, but nothing. Even Lake Changkin 2 is getting a UK release before there is anything in HK. I mean they are still making good movies but so many releases are all old catalog titles. And even some I've had to get Europe and add subtitles like The Rescue

[Batman1084]

I think the state of Hong Kong may be playing into some of this...

I'm personally waiting for Limbo and Anita... both excellent releases from 2021.

[krelian]

well, it might be true
but what I really find astonishing/puzzling is there is still no HK release of Jet Li's Hero
that's beyond comprehension

[bongozoid]

Hero is 20 years old - hardly a "modern" film. And I wouldn't really consider it a HK film.

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by bongozoid

Hero is 20 years old - hardly a "modern" film. And I wouldn't really consider it a HK film.

Yeah. If the native track is Mandarin, it ain't HK Cinema...

And for an easily available movie on blu ray, who the heck cares there is no HK release. And what has it to do with new movie releases?

[krelian]

well, I intentionally went a little off-topic with that...with apologies to the OP

of course I know ain't no HK movie, however Hero is in my top 5 movies of all time and it saddens me there is no good blu release yet
because that's a fact, they all suck

however do keep in mind it's extremely popular in HK too
the old Edko DVD release has been one of best-selling DVD in HK to date

about recent movies
that's hard to say
as Batman mentioned the current social/political state sure has part in this
then it might be a combination of other things, such as HK, like the rest of the world though, is going completely digital
and admittedly HK flicks aren't good anymore as used to, at least compared with Koreans

edit:
Anyway I'm also eagerly waiting for Anita, absolutely loved it

[GreatGreg]

It probably has to do with the political situation.

China had very few (if any) physical media stores. The only ones I saw even 6-7 yrs ago were bootleg shops.

Hong Kong had a few, but with new legislation and the decrease in profitability of physical media, I wouldn't be surprised if it would be harder and harder to come by.

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by Futurhythm

There's a few reasons:

• The physical media market on decline like it is everywhere else. Also, streaming has gotten really big over there, a place where people don't have a lot of space. The home video market in HK itself isn't that big and a big chunk of the market is collectors from Mainland China (HK discs are the only ones with Chinese subtitles and they don't really have physical media over there).
• New movies don't have longevity outside theatres because the film fan community in HK is relatively 'yellow' (even though a lot of the people who make films aren't). Many new films are seen as pandering to China or being 'fake' HK movies so locals don't actually wanna buy them. There's also much more interest in old HK movies than new ones for collectors and audiences outside of HK.
• There's only a handful of labels left. The old movies are cheaper to license and are more in demand by both local and international collectors. They also all belong to the same one or two rights holders (i.e. Fortune Star and Mei Ah) so it's probably just easier dealing with the same people. There are some studios who might not have any interest in licensing for physical media and prefer to have stuff available for streaming instead (Disney+ picks up a lot of HK content now). Others might want to do it themselves, like Edko and EEG, but with the market on decline will only release definite sellers.

Well fortunately other countries are still releasing HK titles...

I watch a lot of Asian cinema, but honestly I get way more enjoyment from all the great hard boiled crime movies made, particularly in the last ten years. WAY more. I watch a lot of those classics, including the Woo ones and I don't get anywhere near the same level of enjoyment.

I'd be OK with a lot digital, but in Australia here, other than what Netflix adds, what is there available that I could watch say G Storm and Once Upon a Time in HK? I can't even see anything even in HK streaming wise that shows it, setting region to HK or China for those films.

Fortunately I have no end of hard content in my library that I watch (and have to watch)

[sgmarine]

Finally Hong Kong is releasing G Storm blu ray on 30th June.

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by sgmarine

Finally Hong Kong is releasing G Storm blu ray on 30th June.

Oh my god this is fantastic news!!!!! I was planning on binging the series only birthday in July and now I can!!! In full!

Once upon a time in Hong Kong getting a DVD Taiwan release too so hopefully blu shortly

[munin]

You know times are tough when people are genuinely cheering for G Storm...

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by sgmarine

Why is Hong Kong keep re-releasing the old movies instead of the latest movies.

Because Hong Kong Cinema is past its sell-by-date.

For the last umpteen years its been China-lite.

The international market for new movies is limited.

Originally Posted by bongozoid

Hero is 20 years old - hardly a "modern" film. And I wouldn't really consider it a HK film.

It's a Hong Kong co-production.

Originally Posted by Mobe1969

Yeah. If the native track is Mandarin, it ain't HK Cinema...

Nonsense.

[munin]

Originally Posted by Mobe1969

Yeah. If the native track is Mandarin, it ain't HK Cinema...

Shaw Bros must have missed the memo.

[munin]

"Not really bothered about local audiences or Hong Kong itself" applies to so many more fads, directors and films apart from Shaw that it itself is arguably a defining part of Hong Kong cinema's transient identity, so it kind of comes back full circle. In its heyday a lot of it was made for a greater Chinese diaspora and export markets in Asia - the sheer quantity of the output could never have been supported by local audiences only.

And then of course later we had genre and art films that consciously rode the emerging wave of Western home video markets and festivals.

So, to say that anything Mandarin-dubbed just isn't "HK cinema" is a very short-sighted argument IMO.

[Mobe1969]

Originally Posted by munin

You know times are tough when people are genuinely cheering for G Storm...

? Well as:
- I've no access to the movie thru legal methods so haven't seen it, so can't comment
- Every single other movie in the series has been flat out awesome in my appreciation
, I have zero likelihood of not enjoying this entry, even if it is HALF as good as any of the others.

[grim_tales]

I'd like to see Hero on Blu Ray as it was presented/shown in HK, not the Miramax version.

[bongozoid]

Originally Posted by Markgway

It's a Hong Kong co-production.

Indeed it is, but I still wouldn't consider it a Hong Kong film. Maybe it's just me, but it's certainly not the first thing that comes to mind when discussing "modern HK films".

Originally Posted by grim_tales

I'd like to see Hero on Blu Ray as it was presented/shown in HK, not the Miramax version.

The director's cut is available from Nova. Another reason the post about this film not being on blu-ray was pointless.

[krelian]

Originally Posted by bongozoid

The director's cut is available from Nova. Another reason the post about this film not being on blu-ray was pointless.

so for you the fact "some" BD release is available, is reason enough we should not even talk about it?
Do you own that release? I did then I had to sell it. It looks horrible, no better than the Miramax one

[grim_tales]

I didn't know the DC was available, I don't think the Theatrical Cut (100% the same as the HK DVD) is which was what I was trying to say