“The Beggar Hero” finally sees the light of day after
failing to hit the local cinema circuit during the CNY golden slot. Ouch!! This drawback must have hurt the investors’ pocket big time. Sorry to rain on their parade but I think it will
be an uphill struggle to achieve reasonable, let alone impressive box office
results. Having TV king, Wayne, to lead the movie will not save the ho-hum
plot and mundane acting. I would be
surprised if the movie breaks even. Good luck with the R.O.I (return of investment) ! For
the local film industry sake, I sincerely hope it does. Wayne was reportedly courted with a 7 figure pay
check to star in this local flick, shot entirely in Penang. Penang is fast becoming a much sought- after
region scouted for location shoot, what with the recently concluded “Outbound
Love” (surpassing 30 points during the last two weeks of airing) and now, this beggar
themed movie (which was actually shot before TVB crew came over).
A supposedly “grand” meet and greet session was held at
Megamall concourse (of all places!). Can’t they splurge a little on promotions
and have it at more upscale malls like Gurney Plaza or Queensbay? The only saving grace is they managed to
invite our honorable Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, to the event. Wayne looks haggard and exhausted (probably
from non-stop shooting) and sporting a bruised lips (from eating seafood,
infection and lack of rest …or so I read in Weibo). Yikes! Even the Chief Minister (4 years Wayne’s
senior) looks younger! Once again, the Penang Chief Minister proves to
be a popular and formidable figure. The
artistes were clamoring to have their
pictures taken with the affable politician.
Wayne did not have the opportunity to say much but when he did, he tried
his best to sweet talk the audience. Yes, it worked. The event was short but the organizer
managed to squeeze in a simple game session. Wayne’s fan walked away as the
winner, beaming with joy while clutching the autographed poster. Karen Kong (Wayne’s female love interest in the movie) seems to be
indulging in acting more than singing these days. Sweet gal.
The rest of the cast is just blah. Worth a mention is the catchy pop-rock-rap
theme song from the Taiwanese dude, Max Ku. Before Wayne could officiate the event by
breaking the makeshift bricks (with “The Beggar Hero” wordings emblazoned on
the wall), he was quickly whisked away to the cinema for the gala premiere. This
leaves the emcee no choice but to let Henry Thia do the honor instead. The next day, I was at one of the cinemas
where the promotional activity is supposed to take place. The cinema was not
even 1/3 filled up. Wayne was nowhere to
be seen (which was misleading from the schedule published in the media) . Only Henry and the local stars turned
up. Again, I think it would be more
effective to not just have it inside the cinema and its vicinity. Have a proper
stage to promote the movie for heaven’s sake. Don’t be penny wise but pound
foolish. On a side note, I personally
feel that developing a story on the trials and tribulation of a durian seller,
laksa hawker or mural artist in Penang would ignite more buzz than a beggar’s fight against rival beggar
clan and gangsters .
