Pinning hope on winter's tales

Earlier this month, more than 700 cinemas were closed again in North America due to COVID-19, according to Hollywood Reporter.

In addition, most newly released Chinese films in November came with huge hype and expectations, but failed at the box office.

With A-list star Huang Bo serving as executive producer, the film Back to the Wharf was released in the first week of November and was initially expected to be a hit for its reflection of social issues. Some reviews say the film flopped for "holes in the script".

Hong Kong megastar Andy Lau's Find Your Voice also took a nose dive at the box office.

Lauded as the Chinese equivalent of the 2004 French classic The Chorus, the film follows an orchestra conductor's effort to help a group of teenagers establish a school chorus. It has familiar faces who once laid the foundations of the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, such as composer Lowell Lo and actor Eddie Kwan.

The film has been widely criticized for its poorly told story, exemplified by its score of 4.8 points out of 10 on the review site Douban.

But many viewers say they were moved by Lau, who has tried to use his influence to support new talent and revive the Hong Kong film industry.

"With his popularity and status in showbiz, Lau doesn't need to be cast in such a film. To some extent, the film is more like him 'feeding' Hong Kong cinema," says Hong Fan, an associate professor of literature at the Beijing Film Academy.