Anti-corruption 'G Storm' storms Chinese film market

The final installment in the blockbuster crime film franchise about Hong Kong's anti-corruption crackdown earned 374 million yuan ($58.7 million) during the New Year holiday.

G Storm was one of the highest-grossing films of the four-day weekend, second only to anti-pandemic drama Embrace Again, which grossed 590 million yuan. Meanwhile, if not counting the taking on New Year's Eve, the box office total of all films screened during the three-day national holiday exceeded 1 billion yuan, making it the third-best New Year holiday performance following 2021 and 2018, according to Lighthouse, a box office tracking and big data platform.

The previous four releases in the Storm action thriller franchise – Z Storm (2014), S Storm (2016), L Storm (2018), and P Storm (2019) – made more than 1.5 billion yuan in the mainland market. The latest film, directed by David Lam, follows ICAC investigator William Luk (Louis Koo) as he heads a corruption case linked to an international human trafficking ring.

Director David Lam and producer Raymond Wong talk to the audience via video link at the premiere of G Storm in Beijing, Dec. 30, 2021. [Photo courtesy of Wishart Communication]

At the film's premiere on Dec. 30, the eve of its wide release, the creative team was absent due to pandemic controls. But Lam, Koo, and producer Raymond Wong still managed to greet fans from afar via video link. For the last installment of the series, we should have said a better goodbye in person rather than like this, Wong said, nevertheless expressing his happiness at seeing the audience and asking them to stay safe and wear masks.

I love the ending, the franchise's star, Koo, told the audience. The character Luk has serious psychological trauma and has been burdened through years with family and friends being hurt or dying. He's strong externally but vulnerable inside. This time I tried to make him more real and down-to-earth in my performance and presented my best to you.

Lam added the film pays tribute to those who never gave up in their mission to defend justice.