Chapter 181: The Peak Year
The Hong Kong film industry in 1992 was a truly special year—so much so that it became known as "The Year of Stephen Chow."
By this point alone, he had already starred in six films released that year.
With the recent release of King of Beggars, the total reached seven films—and remarkably, the top four spots on Hong Kong's annual box office rankings were all occupied by his works.
King of Beggars was proving just as explosive, clearly on track to break into the top five.
Compared to Beijing, Hong Kong's climate was far warmer. While Norika Fujiwara indulged in the city's legendary shopping scene, Aaron headed to Golden Harvest.
Back when Aaron had worked as an agent, he had helped Golden Harvest sell Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to New Line Cinema—a move that resulted in tremendous success. That deal had brought him into contact with Raymond Chow, the head of Golden Harvest.
As the undisputed powerhouse of Hong Kong cinema, Golden Harvest's status was unrivaled.
"Aaron, you're in Hong Kong—why didn't you give us a call beforehand?"
Raymond Chow was genuinely pleased to see him. Dawnlight Pictures' achievements in Hollywood over the past two years had been impossible to ignore.
At Golden Harvest's headquarters on Axe Hill Road in Diamond Hill, Aaron followed Chow into his office.
"I just came to take a look," Aaron said with a smile.
"Hong Kong films are incredibly famous right now."
Chow poured him a glass of wine and chuckled.
"They are—but the industry has plenty of problems too."
Aaron took a sip.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—you filmed the third one this year, right?"
Chow nodded.
"That's right. It'll be released next year."
The first two films had come out in 1989 and 1990. The third installment had taken longer, and naturally, its box office prospects weren't expected to surpass the original.
Then Chow added casually,
"Aaron, there's a Hong Kong director who went to Hollywood this year—John Woo. He's working with Universal."
"The lead actor is the action star Jean-Claude Van Damme."
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"John Woo—the director of The Killer, right? The film's balletic violence caused quite a stir in Hollywood as well."
That said, Woo's move to Hollywood was still very much a trial run. Hard Target would likely be driven almost entirely by Jean-Claude Van Damme.
"Exactly," Raymond Chow said with a nod.
"Hollywood is interested precisely because of Woo's style."
He glanced at Aaron and continued,
"Golden Harvest has always wanted to break into Hollywood. Back in the '80s, we tried to push Jackie Chan into the American market—but the results weren't ideal."
Aaron lifted his glass slightly.
"Jackie Chan's films on home video still have a decent following in Hollywood."
As Golden Harvest's flagship star, Jackie Chan was deeply tied to the studio.
It was clear that Golden Harvest still hadn't given up on the idea of pushing him internationally.
Chow took a sip of wine and sighed.
"Hong Kong cinema looks prosperous on the surface right now, but it's flooded with too many rushed, low-quality productions."
The boom in the Hong Kong market owed much to the enthusiasm of Taipei distributors, who were generous with money—sometimes paying upfront just to secure trailers.
As a result, Hong Kong filmmakers were juggling multiple projects at once, often working on several films simultaneously.
"Hong Kong really is impressive," Aaron said.
"Five million people, yet over two hundred films produced a year."
"There are five major theater chains now, right? With overseas markets supporting them, it's no wonder Hong Kong ranks second only to Hollywood in film exports."
Taipei imposed strict quotas on foreign films, limiting the number of imported prints. With its own local industry weak, it purchased Hong Kong films in large quantities.
But that created problems.
Actors often worked on four or five films at the same time—how could they possibly polish their performances?
Especially with the infamous 'Hong Kong speed': a film could be made in a month, and go from concept to theatrical release in just two months.
"Originally, Hong Kong had only three major cinema circuits," Chow continued.
"With two more added, demand for films skyrocketed."
"More filmmakers started their own production companies, backed by Taiwanese investors. Output exploded—but quality dropped, and imitation became rampant."
As a veteran studio head, Raymond Chow's judgment was razor-sharp.
Hong Kong cinema was becoming increasingly flashy—and increasingly hollow.
"Especially now," he added,
"Hollywood is eyeing the Asian market like a tiger stalking prey."
After all, Hong Kong films were Hollywood's biggest competitor in Asia—Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia—Hong Kong cinema had enormous influence there.
Chow had spent decades in the industry, building Golden Harvest and toppling Shaw Brothers to become Asia's dominant studio.
Given Hong Kong's limited domestic market, exports were a matter of survival—there was no way the local box office alone could sustain the industry.
Last year, rival studio Cinema City had collapsed, which should have been good news.
But Golden Harvest ran into trouble as well—Tsui Hark and Jet Li's Once Upon a Time in China partnership fell apart when Jet Li walked away.
Aaron suddenly asked,
"I've heard the most important film season here is the Lunar New Year holiday. Each theater chain releases a major New Year film, right?"
Chow nodded.
"It's coming up soon—during Chinese New Year. Golden Harvest's New Year release this year is Jackie Chan's action comedy City Hunter."
Jackie Chan's earlier films, Miracles and Operation Condor, had gone seriously over budget without meeting box office expectations.
This year, however, Police Story 3: Super Cop performed well—top ten locally, and extremely strong overseas.
"Aaron," Chow said, leaning forward,
"Would you be interested in collaborating?"
Aaron smiled.
"How so?"
"Golden Harvest wants to turn Jackie Chan into a true international star. Is there a chance Dawn Pictures could develop a script for him?"
Chow had always envied Hollywood's massive market.
As Asia's undisputed top star, Jackie Chan had reached the ceiling locally—Hollywood was the next step.
Aaron tapped his knee thoughtfully.
"Hollywood doesn't really have Chinese stars right now. John Lone had some momentum, but that's faded."
"The demand for action films is strong, and there are many paths for action actors. For Jackie Chan, it's definitely worth trying."
"Or," he added,
"You could develop a script Hong Kong–style, then I'll have it revised for Hollywood standards. Your director can shoot it in the U.S."
Chow froze for a moment.
"And Jackie Chan would be the lead?"
"Of course," Aaron said without hesitation.
"As long as we don't repeat the The Protector fiasco. Jackie's strengths have to be fully utilized."
"Hollywood action films are all about brute-force muscle right now. Jackie's action-comedy style might offer something completely different."
In Aaron's mind, Rumble in the Bronx was already taking shape.
Chow's eyes lit up—this was a real opportunity.