Special feature of 1905 film network "Don’t call me" God of Gambling "has only grossed more than 36 million yuan since its release.The film is the work that the actor meets the audience after five years. What’s more, the film is a tailor-made work for "Fage" Chow Yun Fat, whose director is the screenwriter.
The film titled "Don’t Call Me" Gambling God "almost fits Chow Yun Fat’s image in the audience’s mind. Especially in the video materials in the early stage of the film, most of them are related gambling pictures set by the "gambling god", which seems to strengthen this concept intentionally or unintentionally.
Only after strengthening this setting, the film did not get too many market audiences in the early stage. For most netizens, the whole still stays in the feelings of "Fage" and "Gambling God".
This wave of emotional killing doesn’t seem to have worked, the box office is flat, and the word-of-mouth performance is also average. Douban has only scored 5.7 points so far. Judging from the feedback from netizens, some people think that it is beyond expectations, and some people think that it is selling feelings. However, it is generally believed that the title and content of the film are a little wrong, which wastes Chow Yun Fat.
Back to the movie itself, is there really a "waste" between Chow Yun Fat and Don’t Call Me "God of Gambling"?
01.
Don’t call me "God of Gambling" is the third time that the film has been renamed. When the film was first officially announced in 2019, it was called "Sunny Years". At that time, the poster was featured with the huge title and Chow Yun Fat on the run.Obviously, from the previous content, the relationship between the film and the "gambling god" IP is even worse.Macau Fengyun.
It was originally planned to be released in 2019, but for various reasons, the release plan was put on hold; Later, the film experienced "I am not a gambler", and finally it was officially exposed at the cinema promotion meeting in 2021, and it was renamed again, so it is now "Don’t call me a gambler".
Several name adjustments are enough to feel that the producer hopes that the film can be presented more commercially.First branchin advanceSue the filmIn the middle of the game, Chow Yun Fat once again sat at the poker table and said, "Open the card and see me", which is reminiscent of AG, the god of gamblers. It’s just that the fat brother in this film is no longer a handsome "gambler" image, but has turned into a frustrated middle-aged uncle.
In the early stage of the film, the core propaganda almost takes "gambling god" as the packaging point, and the story line of the preview is to highlight the gambling man, and the prodigal son returns.
The official synopsis also mentions that "Guaihui" (Chow Yun Fat), who is fooling around, promised to temporarily take care of Li Yang (Ke Weilin), the autistic son of his former lover Li Xi (ornaments), and later found out that it was his own son, but the news of Li Xi’s death came. Brother Hui decided to shoulder the responsibility of being a father and take his son to a new page in life.
Whether it is an introduction or a film, the film is more like another famous work of Chow Yun Fat. Even in the "release notice" of the film, the "genre" column says "plot/family/sports", which has nothing to do with it.
Regardless of the quality of the film, at least the original title of "Sunny Years" is more suitable than "Don’t call me a gambler". Even the director was on the Guangzhou roadshow, implicitly saying that the name change was "out of commercial considerations".
Admittedly, it is unreasonable for Chow Yun Fat to enlarge the concept of "gambler".In 1989, "God of Gambling" was released in Hong Kong, which won 37 million box office at a cost of 10 million, and officially opened the "gambling era" of Hong Kong movies. After a lapse of five years, it was released and won a box office of HK$ 51.53 million in one fell swoop, becoming the first film in Hong Kong with a box office of over 50 million.
Later, in the movie, AG’s big-backed greasy head, which looked like a lot of mousse, became a popular product at that time, and it was also the only designated hairstyle for successful people.
And 17 years later, we cooperated with Chow Yun Fat again to launch the series "Macau Fengyun". Although the word-of-mouth declined like a cliff, the series became synonymous with "circling money" and "fried cold rice", but the box office proved that this combination was still a "box office harvester", which doubled from 524 million in the first part to 1.116 billion in the third part.
In business, when the film is facing the market economy, it may be understandable to change the seemingly more literary film "Sunny Years" into the name with stronger commercial attributes.
02.
Many fans have high expectations for this, largely not because of the "God of Gambling" IP, but because of Chow Yun Fat and Zhuang Wenqiang.
Chow Yun Fat has gradually faded out of the film circle in recent years, and there are few new moves since the release of "One Warriors" in 2018. This "Don’t Call Me" Gambling God "happens to be the second cooperation between Chow Yun Fat and Zhuang Wenqiang.
As we all know, Zhuang Wenqiang is Chow Yun Fat’s biggest fan. At that time, "Unique" was his creation to pay tribute to Chow Yun Fat in the 1980s. "I want everyone to know what the word’ Chow Yun Fat’ means."
At that time, in "Warriors", there was a classic trench coat with a suit in Mark; There is also a picture of restoring the classic American dollar cigarette in "The True Color of Heroes".
Even at that time, after reading the script, Chow Yun Fat asked Zhuang Wenqiang, "You wrote this play about me. If you don’t ask me to play it, who do you want to play?" In the end, "Warriors" succeeded, and the achievements need not be repeated.
Zhuang Wenqiang, a "fan", doesn’t seem to satisfy his love for idols. He also wrote the work Don’t Call me "God of Gambling" and incorporated it into Chow Yun Fat’s works, another latitude work, A-Lang’s Story.
More than that, in Don’t Call Me "God of Gambling", Zhuang Wenqiang combined Chow Yun Fat’s favorite running sports in recent years.
In recent years, I have seen less Chow Yun Fat on the big screen, but occasionally he has seen more on the running road. When "unparalleled" was promoted in the mainland, he went running in Chaoyang Park every day, which caused a group of people to follow. The promotion of "Don’t call me" God of Gambling "coincided with the Shanghai International Film Festival, and he ran on the beach and made a sensation again.
In fact, running has become another event that Chow Yun Fat, an enthusiastic citizen, deeply loves.In previous years, he also led a running group.Sylvia ChangThe filmmakers are all involved, running together at six or seven every morning, and then having breakfast together.
As long as he is recognized and asked for a photo, Fage will naturally take out his mobile phone and take a selfie with everyone. Slowly, the group selfie of Fage has become another symbolic action of him in recent years.
Looking back at Chow Yun Fat in the 1980s and 1990s, "One like you" or "Don’t call me" God of Gambling "have all become nostalgia, and they have all become" fans "of Zhuang Wenqiang, or other fans, looking for the media of this filmmaker’s past.
Someone talked to him about these feelings, but he didn’t shy away, but he didn’t answer directly.I just use running and exercise to respond. I am much more flexible than before. I am confident that doing actions now will be more refreshing and energetic than when I was young.
No matter whether Chow Yun Fat plays Chow Yun Fat in One Matchless or Don’t Call Me "God of Gambling". He seldom lets people down, and his age doesn’t limit him.
In the film, he had a Thai boxing scene, watched the script and went to study the next day. The staff advised him that he could find body double, and the role itself did not know Muay Thai. But he enjoys it himself.
I was injured in the process of filming "Don’t call me a gambler". He simply treated the wound and continued filming.
Cases like this don’t stop there for Chow Yun Fat.It may be appropriate to describe him as "a work of equal quality", but he never denies that there have been bad films. When asked about the box office pressure, he will only say that for movies, he believes that every work has its "luck" and that it is enough for him to be an actor and play a good role.
As he said, as soon as the camera starts to operate, he will feel that "everything around him has disappeared, only this role".
Perhaps, the answer at the beginning of the article is obvious. Why talk about waste? Feelings stop at business. For Chow Yun Fat himself, works first, because he really enjoys the performance.