The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Product decision · 2021–2024
The Movie Emperor (红毯先生): Andy Lau's ¥261M film that grossed ¥94.18M
Andy Lau's The Movie Emperor cost ¥261M, grossed ¥94.18M in mainland China, and was reported to lose over ¥200M.
Huanxi Media Group · 2024-03-15
What happened
The Movie Emperor (红毯先生), directed by Ning Hao and starring Andy Lau, was backed by Huanxi Media Group with an investment reported at ¥261 million, including a ¥25 million directorial fee for Ning Hao. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 15, 2023, and was released in mainland China on March 15, 2024.
The film grossed only ¥94.18 million in mainland China, which Chinese media counted as one of the year's biggest flops. Shanghai Securities News, via reports in the financial press, said the film could lose over ¥200 million (2亿元).
The failure showed that even Andy Lau's star power could not carry a satirical drama about a movie star attended by a niche festival audience. The Malaysian Star's coverage noted his star power 'was not enough to save' the film after it opened far below its competitors.
Why it happened
- Huanxi Media invested ¥261M in a satirical art-house drama headlined by Andy Lau, betting a festival pedigree and a star would translate into a broad Chinese box office.
- The film's niche tone and a release that followed its festival premiere by six months gave the mainstream audience no reason to turn out, and it grossed just ¥94.18M.
- Against a ¥261M outlay, the ¥94.18M gross left the film reported to lose over ¥200M (2亿元), making it one of 2024's biggest Chinese flops.
The lesson
A star is not a plot: Huanxi paid ¥261M for an Andy Lau satire that grossed ¥94.18M and reportedly lost ¥200M+ — star power fills seats only for a story the audience wants.
Sources
- Wikipedia — The Movie Emperor
- The Star (Malaysia) — Lau's 'The Movie Emperor' Flops at the Box Office
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