Legendary actor, director, and writer Stephen Chow’s comedy and business-themed film “The God of Cookery,” which he wrote, directed, and starred in, was first released in Hong Kong and Taiwan in 1996 and 1997, respectively. After 28 years, on August 12, the film was announced to be scheduled for release in mainland China on August 31.
This upcoming release of “The God of Cookery” in mainland China after a 28-year gap is a restored version, as reported by “Sina Movies.” While the trailer doesn’t show apparent differences from the original, many Chinese netizens speculate that despite the appearance of the Eighteen Bronzemen of Shaolin Temple in the trailer, the abbot of the temple may have a different title.
As the “King of Comedy” in Hong Kong, Stephen Chow’s earlier nonsensical comedy films have become nostalgic memories for many. Back then, although many of Chow’s films gained immense popularity, they mostly spread through DVD formats in mainland China. Thus, many mainland netizens have expressed a sentiment of owing Stephen Chow a movie ticket.
Stephen Chow, affectionately known as “Stephen Tse” due to his achievements in comedy films, had a remarkable year in 1992, dubbed as the “Stephen Chow Year” in Hong Kong cinema history. Films like “Fight Back to School,” “Royal Tramp,” “All’s Well, Ends Well,” “Justice, My Foot!,” and “Royal Tramp II” completely dominated the box office that year, with “Royal Tramp” and “All’s Well, Ends Well” breaking Hong Kong cinema’s box office records successively. Every subsequent year, Stephen Chow continued to deliver standout works, but many fans never expected that “The God of Cookery” from 1996 would only hit mainland Chinese screens after a 28-year delay.
Directed by Stephen Chow and Li Lik-Chi, “The God of Cookery” stars Stephen Chow, Karen Mok, Theresa Lee, Ng Man-Tat, and Vincent Kok. On August 12, the movie released a scheduled trailer announcing its release in mainland China on August 31.
Regarding the 28-year delay for “The God of Cookery” to have a chance to screen in mainland China, mainland self-media outlet “Meow Entertainment Group” believes it is a “rescue mission.” The article stated, “This summer’s movie lineup has been quite lackluster, with only ‘Claw Machine’ receiving some praise, while films like Derek Yee’s ‘Decryption’ and Cao Baoping’s ‘Under the Sun’ have faced criticism.” “We thought this summer season would end on a dull note, but mainland cinemas have pulled out a trump card classic to save the day.”
Despite many having already watched “The God of Cookery” multiple times, comments online express sentiments like “Watching the current lousy films makes me appreciate revisiting past classics,” “We owe Stephen Chow a movie ticket that we must repay,” “After so many years, we still owe Stephen Chow a movie ticket,” “Even though I’ve seen it before, I still want to watch it again,” “Hoping they don’t cut too much from the film.”