The history of the Hong Kong film industry, part two
HF:
The Hong Kong film industry – the star system
According to Paul McDonald, a star system emerged in Hollywood as talent scouts, coaches and publicists were involved with finding performers and making them into stars. In the vertically integrated Hollywood film industry of the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s these responsibilities were all undertaken by the studios themselves. The studios made the stars and, and due to notoriously restrictive terms imposed by exclusive services contracts, the studios also owned the stars. As is common in commercial cinema, the industry’s heart is a highly developed star system. In earlier days, beloved performers from the Chinese opera stage often brought their audiences with them to the screen. For the past three or four decades television has been a major launching pad for movie stardom, through acting courses and widely watched drama, comedy and variety series offered by the two major stations. Possibly even more important is the overlap with the Cantonese pop music industry. Many, if not most, movie stars have recording sidelines and vice versa; this has been a key marketing strategy in an entertainment industry where American-style, multimedia advertising campaigns have until recently been little used. In the current commercially troubled climate, the casting of young Cantopop idols (such as Ekin Cheng and the Twins) to attract the all important youth audience is endemic.
In the small and tightly knit industry, actors (as well as other personnel, such as directors) are kept very busy. During previous boom periods, the number of movies made by a successful figure in a single year could routinely reach double digits.
Famous Hong Kong film stars
Jackie Chan
Leslie Cheung
Famous Hong Kong Films
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A
Budgets
Films are typically low budget compared with American films. A major release with a big star, aimed at ”hit” status will typically cost around US$5 million. A low-budget feature can go well below US$1 million. Occasional blockbuster projects by the very biggest stars (Jackie Chan or Stephen Chow, for example) or international co-productions (”crossovers”) aimed at the global market, can go as high as US$20 million or more, but these are rare exceptions. Hong Kong productions can nevertheless achieve a level of gloss and lavishness greater than these numbers might suggest, given factors such as lower wages and the value of the Hong Kong dollar.
Source: Wikipedia
This article was first posted on 15th June 2025.
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