The Hong Kong box office is buzzing with a 3D porn comedy.
According to producer Stephen Shiu, the Cantonese-language film 3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy has garnered 17 million Hong Kong dollars ($2.2 million) as of Tuesday, following its opening last week.
This amount is nearly seven times higher than the earnings for the Hollywood thriller Scream 4, which has brought in $320,000.
Sex and Zen… a remake of a film from 1991 sharing the same title…includes scenes of full nudity and suggestive lovemaking but does not depict actual sexual acts.
The narrative features a sexually frustrated scholar from ancient China who becomes enmeshed in the luxurious harem of a duke he befriends, with performances by Japanese porn stars Hara Saori and Suo Yukiko alongside Hong Kong actress Vonnie Liu.
On its opening day last Thursday, the film secured $360,000, surpassing the first-day record previously held by James Cameron’s 2009 3D sci-fi blockbuster Avatar, which had an opening day earning of $340,000.
Shiu, whose father Stephen Shiu Sr was the executive producer for the original Sex and Zen, believes he has tapped into a significant craving for 3D erotic cinema.
“We met people’s expectations. There’s always been a notion that 3D technology is essential for this type of content, leaving people very
curious,” he mentioned.
While Sex and Zen promotes itself as the first 3D erotic film globally, Shiu admits that it was preceded by a South Korean film from last year, Natali….
Nonetheless, Shiu’s film represents a groundbreaking effort at integrating new 3D techniques into the theatrical release of adult content, especially considering that the West largely favors DVD distributions for such films.
An influx of mainland Chinese viewers has further bolstered the film’s success in Hong Kong, with estimates by Shiu indicating that they comprised up to half of the audience in certain theatres.
Since Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, it has continued to uphold a distinct political landscape…and its film regulatory system.
Although there is a film ratings framework in Hong Kong, mainland China lacks one, which effectively bans erotic films.
Sex and Zen was given a restricted classification in Hong Kong, permitting audiences aged 18 and above to attend screenings.
This isn’t the first occurrence of mainland viewers coming to Hong Kong to avoid censorship from Chinese authorities. Many from the mainland traveled across to view the unedited version of Ang Lee’s 2007 sexually charged spy thriller Lust, Caution, which won an Oscar.
In response to the novelty of the film, Hong Kong theatre operators have also organized women-only screenings.
Sex and Zen has been released in around a dozen cinemas located in Chinese communities throughout Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, but Shiu did not have specific box office information for those locations.
The film is slated for release in South Korea on May 12, with plans for France, Italy, and India to see it in June. Additionally, Shiu aims for a May debut in Singapore, although negotiations with local censors regarding the final cut are still in progress.
by John Jackson
