HK films stage a comeback on the mainland

A look at cinema screening schedules for March indicates that mainland audiences will see a resurgence of Hong Kong films, Xinhua reports.

The five films by Hong Kong directors that will be shown on the mainland next month include "Nightfall," "Love in the Buff," "A Second Woman," "Marrying Mr. Perfect" and "Blood-stained Shoes."

The small-budget, Hong Kong art-house film "A Simple Life," released on the mainland earlier this month, has received good reviews and earned box-office revenue of 40 million yuan (US$ 6.3 million) during its first-week screening.

During peak years, Hong Kong has produced about 400 films annually. But in recent years only about 60 movies have been screened in mainland cinemas as audiences have tired of the films' low-brow, mocking and grandiloquent content. Few have been willing to pay to see them.

"However, the films screened this March, whether they are comedies or other genre, contain more in-depth plots and more human elements," one film critic told xinhuanet.com.

As Hong Kong filmmakers try to win back mainland moviegoers, they are focusing on topics they are familiar with and not simply catering to what they believe are mainland audiences' tastes for special effects and flashy scenes.