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Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution' posts strong results abroad, limit

 
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 05, 2007 4:06 am    Post subject: Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution' posts strong results abroad, limit

Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution' posts strong results abroad, limited exposure in US

The Associated Press

Friday, October 5, 2007

HONG KONG: Ang Lee said recently his new movie — a Chinese-language spy thriller set in Hong Kong and Shanghai — may put him in a marginal position in the U.S. market after making popular American movies like "Brokeback Mountain" and "Hulk."

Early box office numbers back up his prediction, showing the film is a bigger hit abroad than in the United States.

"Lust, Caution" has made US$97,864 (€69,363) in the U.S. from a limited release of 17 movie theaters as of Wednesday, according to the box office tracking Web site Box Office Mojo.

Meanwhile, the movie has made NT$128 million (US$3.9 million; €2.8 million) in Lee's native Taiwan as of Thursday, a result normally achieved by Hollywood blockbusters, Edko Films General Manager for Sales and Acquisitions Audrey Lee told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday.

Lee's younger brother and fellow filmmaker Lee Kang told AP the results were surprising because the movie, which features explicit sex scenes, is banned from viewers younger than 18, as is the case in Hong Kong and Malaysia.

In Hong Kong, "Lust, Caution" has made HK$17.2 million (US$2.2 million; €1.6 million) from its release on Sept. 26 to Thursday, Audrey Lee of Edko, which invested in the movie, said.

In Malaysia, where "Lust, Caution" was partly filmed, the movie was trimmed by 14 minutes for sex and violence and has made about 300,000 ringgit (US$88,100; €62,350) from 16 Malaysian screens in seven days, its distributor said Thursday.

The box office take for "Lust, Caution" in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia so far combine for about US$6.2 million, compared to US$97,864 (€69,363) in the U.S. — and the film has yet to be released in mainland China, the biggest Chinese-speaking market.

By comparison, "Brokeback Mountain" made US$83 million (€59 million) in the U.S., "Hulk" earned US$132 million (€94 million) and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" US$128 million (€91 million), according to Box Office Mojo.

"It's not very audience-friendly for a market like the U.S. It's not their subject matter," Lee said recently of the response in the U.S. to his newest film.

The strong numbers for "Lust, Caution" at the Asian box office were likely helped by Lee's household name status in the Chinese-speaking world and the director's recent promotional stops in both Hong Kong and Taiwan. Lee is considered a hero in his native Taiwan, where he grew up before studying theater and film in the U.S.

"Lust, Caution" also won the top Golden Lion prize at the recent Venice Film Festival.

The movie has also generated much buzz in Chinese-speaking communities for its strong sexuality. It features abusive and violent sex scenes and a variety of sexual positions.

"Lust, Caution," based on a short story by famed Chinese writer Eileen Chang, is about a group of patriotic students who plot to assassinate the intelligence chief in the Japanese-backed Chinese government during the World War II era.

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai plays the intelligence official, Mr. Yi, while newcomer Tang Wei plays Chinese student Wang Jiazhi, who seduces Yi to pave the way for the assassination.

Ang Lee's next project, however, may be a Hollywood romantic comedy. He said in Hong Kong recently he's waiting to read the script for "A Little Game."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/05/arts/AS-A-E-MOV-Ang-Lee-Box-Office.php
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