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The White Storm 2: Drug Lords

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The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords
Official film poster
Directed byHerman Yau
Written byHerman Yau
Erica Lee
Eric Lee
Produced byAndy Lau
Alvin Lam
Esther Koo
Wong Chun-kei
Shirley Yeung
Chan Wai-keung
StarringAndy Lau
Louis Koo
CinematographyJoe Chan
Edited byAzrael Chung
Music byMak Chun Hung
Production
companies
Universe Entertainment
Sil-Metropole Organisation
Guangdong Sublime Media
Focus Films
Sun Entertainment Culture
Yinming Culture Communication
Hero Films
Distributed byUniverse Films Distribution (Hong Kong, Worldwide)
Gala Film Distribution (Hong Kong)
Release dates
  • 5 July 2019 (2019-07-05) (China)
  • 16 July 2019 (2019-07-16) (Hong Kong)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese
BudgetUS$25 million
Box officeUS$192.5 million[1] [2][3]

The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords is a 2019 Hong Kong action film directed by Herman Yau, produced by and starring Andy Lau. The film is a thematic sequel in-title-only to the 2013 film, The White Storm, and also stars returning cast member Louis Koo in a different role, while the film also features a new storyline as well.[4][5]

The film was first announced on 15 March 2018.[6] Production for The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords began on 23 June 2018[7][8] and wrapped up on 12 September 2018.[9] The film was theatrically released on 5 July 2019 in China, on 12 July 2019 in Taiwan, and on 16 July 2019 in Hong Kong.[10][11][12] The film was also selected to be the closing film for 18th New York Asian Film Festival on 14 July 2019.[13][14] It was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.[15]

Plot

In 2004, triad member Jizo (Louis Koo) was caught dealing drugs in his night club. His boss, Yu Nam (Kent Cheng) punishes Jizo by ordering his compatriot Yu Shun-tin (Andy Lau) to cut off his fingers and expel him from the organisation. Yu, who witnessed his father being consumed by drug addiction during childhood and abhors drugs as deadly foes, eventually decides to resign from the Triad and live a straight life.

It is now 2019 and Yu has become a billionaire tycoon and philanthropist known as the "Finance Whiz", after meeting investor Michelle (Karena Lam), who becomes Yu's wife and business partner. Meanwhile, Jizo is now one of the biggest drug lords in the Hong Kong underworld. Yu discovers that he actually has a long-lost son with his recently deceased ex-girlfriend, May (Chrissie Chau). He travels to the the Philippines to find his son, only to witness him commit suicide due to the effects from a drug overdose. After returning, Yu vows to destroy the drug trade in Hong Kong. Using his wealth and former triad connections, he orders several hits and coordinates a chain of dog-eat-dog events which shocks the whole drug trade, putting the players on high alert. Police chief inspector Lam Ching-fung (Michael Miu) and his team conduct drug raids involving Yu's men, and foreign gangs. Lam discovers Yu is extracting revenge on the whole drug trade over the death of his son. Jizo, discovering that this act is being orchestrated by Yu, confronts his former brother, and publicly reveals to Inspector Lam that Yu has a history with the Triad.

Yu then offers a bounty of HK$100 million to kill the number one drug dealer in Hong Kong, which causes a stir in the criminal underworld and society at large. Because his bounty was not directed at a specific person, the police are unable to prosecute Yu. Fearing reprisal, Jizo voluntarily turns himself in to the police, and Inspector Lam is now responsible for protecting Jizo from the bounty instead of arresting him. Jizo also orders a hit on Yu, but the killer accidentally kills Michelle instead.

Enraged by the death of his wife, Yu launches an all-out attack on Jizo, eventually cornering him in a subway tunnel. Inspector Lam then arrives and they have a three-way shootout. Both Yu and Jizo are killed while Inspector Lam survives. Lam honours Yu's legacy by using the bounty to open a centre for children whose parents were drug addicts.

Cast

  • Andy Lau as Yu Shun-tin (余順天), a financial tycoon and philanthropist whose father and grandfather were both victims of drug abuse and offers a HK$100 million bounty to eliminate Hong Kong's top drug dealer. Yu is former member of the Ching Hing (正興) triad and was brothers with Jizo in the past .
  • Louis Koo as Fung Chun-kwok (馮振國), known as Jizo (地藏), Hong Kong's number one drug dealer who is targeted by Yu Shun-tin, who was his sworn brother when they belonged to the Ching Hing triad gang. Their enmity began when Yu chopped off Jizo's fingers as punishment for his drug trafficking.
  • Michael Miu as Lam Ching-fung (林正風), chief inspector of the Narcotics Bureau.
  • Karena Lam as Michelle Chow (鄒文鳳), Yu Shun-tin's wife who is a lawyer.
  • Kent Cheng as Yu Nam (余南), leader of the Ching Hing triad and Yu Shun-tin's uncle who forbids drug business in the gang and ordered his nephew to chop off Jizo's fingers. (special appearance)
  • Gordon Lam as the Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong. (special appearance)
  • Chrissie Chau as May Chan (陳靜美), Yu Shun-tin's ex-girlfriend who left him due to his alcoholism. (special appearance)
  • Cherrie Ying as Fong Yau-ka (方悠嘉), known as Sister Ca (Ca姐), one of the four major drug dealers in Hong Kong. (special appearance)
  • Cheung Kwok-keung as Ming (阿明), Yu Shun-tin's right hand man.
  • Carlos Chan as Jack Yau (丘世鴻), Lam Ching-fung's subordinate and Apple's fiance.
  • Michelle Wai as Apple Tse (謝家欣), Lam Ching-fung's subordinate and Jack's fiance.
  • Jun Kung as Cho Tai (曹泰), one of the four major drug dealers in Hong Kong.
  • MC Jin as Cho Ping (曹平), Cho Tai's younger brother.
  • Jimmy Au as Chiu Wing-cheung (趙永昌), Yu Shun-tin's right hand man.
  • Jerome Cheung as Dicky (迪奇), Jizo's underling.
  • Elena Kong as Cheung Ching (張清), Lam Ching-fung's wife who is an officer of the Emergency Unit (EU) who was killed by a junkie during a drug raid operation at Jizo's nightclub.
  • Lau Kong as Cheung Chi-ming (張子明), chief superintendent of the Narcotics Bureau.
  • Ben Yuen as the Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations.
  • Halina Tam as Doctor Siu Ka-man (蕭家文), a gynecologist and Michelle's doctor.
  • Gill Mohindepaul Singh as Abbas Abraham (阿巴斯) a South Asian drug dealer who was executed by Yu Shun-tin.
  • Sam Lee as a neighborhood small-time drug dealer.
  • Philippe Joly as Josef, a European drug dealer.
  • Faith Lee as Lam Hoi-lam (林海嵐), Lam Ching-fung and Cheung Ching's daughter.

Theme song

  • Brotherhood (兄弟不懷疑)
    • Singer: Andy Lau, Louis Koo
    • Composer/Arranger: Jacky Cai
    • Lyricist: Andy Lau
    • Producer: Jacky Chan

Production

Development

On 15 March 2018, Universe Entertainment announced a sequel to The White Storm, will start shooting during the summer and unveiled its teaser film poster, as well as announcing and unveiling the teaser poster of the sequel to the 2017 film, Shock Wave, on the same day. The sequel to the former, titled The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords, will be a thematic sequel to the first film with a new storyline and will feature Louis Koo returning in a different role as well as being the only returning cast member from the first film. Andy Lau, who produced and starred in Shock Wave, joins the cast as well as serving as the film's producer, receiving a reported salary of HK$40 million,[16][17] while Herman Yau, who directed Shock Wave, will replace Benny Chan as the director for the sequel. According to Universe Entertainment, filming for The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords will take place in Hong Kong and the Philippines, while the budget for the sequel will increase from the first film's budget of US$16 million to US$25 million to intensify the action sequences.[10][4] A week later, the film was promoted at the 2018 Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (Filmart), which ran from 19 to 22 March 2018.[10]

Filming

Principal photography for The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords began on 23 June 2018 in Hong Kong. Photos from the production set featuring stars Lau and Koo, along with various crew members were released.[7][8]

On 17 July 2018 at around 8:00 PM, filming of an action scene involving a gun fight and auto chase took place in Fenwick Pier, where cast members Lau and Carlos Chan was present. Filming for that scene lasted until early morning of the next day.[16]

On 22 July 2018, the film held its first press conference in the form of a drug sweep ceremony at a 1:1 replica set of the Central MTR Station at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal which took over five months to construct with a cost of over HK$10 million. The promotion event was attended by director Yau along with cast members Lau, Koo, Michael Miu, Cherrie Ying, Chrissie Chau, Michelle Wai and Cheung Kwok-keung. During the event, Lau and Koo were driven to the MTR station in a police cruiser, while Miu, who portrays a chief superintendent officer, leads a drug raid operation in the set where director Yau and the cast swept away prop cocaine on the ground with brooms.[18][19]

As filming was coming to an end, a production wrap up ceremony for the film was held on 31 August 2018 at the Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui attended by director Yau and cast members Lau, Koo, Miu, Lam, Cheung, Kent Cheng and Jimmy Au.[20][21][22]

Filming for The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords officially concluded on 12 September 2018 after shooting its final scene on location at the actual Central MTR Station with Lau, Miu and director Yau present.[9][23]

Release

The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords was theatrically released in China on 5 July 2019, on 12 July 2019 in Taiwan and western countries such as United Kingdom, Australia and North America, and on 16 July 2019 in Hong Kong.

The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords was shown as the closing the 18th New York Asian Film Festival on 14 July 2019, as well as competing for the Audience Award.[14][13]

Promotion

On 18 March 2019, a press conference for the film attended by the cast and crew was held at the 2019 Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART), where it also unveiled its first teaser trailer and a new poster, displaying a release date in July 2019.[11]

On 29 May 2019, Universe Entertainment released a second trailer, displaying a theatrical release date of 16 July 2019.[12]

Box office

As of 13 September 2019, The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords has grossed a total of US$192,547,163 worldwide, combining its box office gross from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam.[1][2]

China

Opening on 5 July 2019 in China, The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords grossed a total of ¥135.67 million (US$19.7 million) on its opening day, ranking No. 1, accounting for over 52 percent of the daily total box office in the country.[24] It also set the record as the biggest opening day for a Hong Kong film in China.[25] During its opening weekend, the film has grossed a total of US$62.4 million (¥432.28 million), ranking No. 1 at the Chinese box office and No. 3 at the international box office.[26]

The film remained at No. 1 during its second weekend, where it grossed US$76 million and accumulating a total gross of US$135.8 million by then.[27]

After 12 days of release on 16 July 2019, the film has passed the ¥1 billion mark in China, grossing a total of ¥1.013 billion (US$149.85 million) by then.[28]

On its third weekend, the film grossed US$33.4 million, placing at No. 3, while accumulating a total gross of US$169.3 million by then.[29]

During its fourth weekend, the film grossed US$12.3 million and was placed at No. 4, accumulating a total gross of US$181.7 million by then.[30]

On its fifth week, the film grossed US$3.1 million and ranked at No. 6, accumulating a total gross of US$184.8 million by the end of the weekend.[31]

The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords grossed a total of ¥1,297,304,000 at the Chinese box office after ending its theatrical on 13 September 2019, making it the highest-grossing Hong Kong film in China.[32]

Taiwan

Released on 12 July 2019 in Taiwan, the film grossed NT$1.72 million in its capital, Taipei, setting the record for the biggest opening for a Hong Kong film in the city. By the end of its opening weekend, the film had grossed NT$4.98 million in the city, making it the biggest opening week for a Chinese-language film in 2019. On the other hand, the film grossed NT$10 million throughout Taiwan in its first two days of release and grossed a total of NT$17 million by the end of its opening weekend in the country, also making it the biggest opening week for a Chinese-language film of 2019 in the entire Taiwan.[33]

By 22 July 2019, the film has reached a gross of NT$30 million in Taiwan so far.[34]

Hong Kong

Opening on 16 July 2019, The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords debuted No. 1 with a gross of HK$2.2 million on its opening day, despite strong competition from Hollywood blockbusters.[35] By the end of its opening weekend, the film grossed HK$13,797,840, ranking at second place.[36]

During its second week, the film grossed HK$6,792,460 and was ranked No. 2 at the weekly box office, accumulating a total gross of HK$20,590,300 by the end of the weekend.[37]

On its third week, the film grossed HK$3,103,331 at the weekly box office and was placed at No. 5, accumulating a total gross of HK$23,693,631 by the end of the weekend.[38]

During its fourth week, the film grossed HK$871,632 at the weekly box office and was placed at No. 9, accumulating a total gross of HK$24,568,576 by the end of the weekend.[39]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "掃毒2：天地對決票房收入".
  2. ^ a b "The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  3. ^ "The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords". The Numbers. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "【連串計劃】寰宇宣佈開拍《掃毒2》《拆彈2》劉德華新姿態登場". Hk.entertainment.appledaily.com.
  5. ^ ""Shock Wave" and "The White Storm" Sequels". Jaynestars.com.
  6. ^ "HK actor Andy Lau back in top form". Asiaone.com.
  7. ^ a b "【《掃毒2》開鏡】華仔演金融大亨火拼毒販古仔". Hk.entertainment.appledaily.com.
  8. ^ a b ""The White Storm 2" Stars Andy Lau and Louis Koo". Jaynestars.com.
  9. ^ a b "Andy went to support last day shooting of White Storm 2". Andylausounds.com.
  10. ^ a b c "Filmart: Universe whips up sequels to 'The White Storm', 'Shock Wave' (exclusive)". Screendaily.com.
  11. ^ a b "《掃毒2之天地對決》男神古天樂劉德華再度合作　古仔華仔聯手炮製中環港鐵災難【有片】". Topick.hket.com.
  12. ^ a b "《掃毒2天地對決 The White Storm 2 Drug Lord》- 雙雄對峙預告". YouTube.
  13. ^ a b "The White Storm 2 - Drug Lords -New York Asian Film Festival".
  14. ^ a b "《掃毒2》獲選紐約亞洲電影節閉幕電影　劉德華古天樂兩大影帝感高興".
  15. ^ Chu, Karen (23 September 2019). "Oscars: Hong Kong Selects 'The White Storm 2' for International Feature Film Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  16. ^ a b "收4,000萬 監‧演《掃毒2》 劉德華復工開戲捱熱監督". Hd.stheadline.com.
  17. ^ "【馮仁昭四圍超】張家輝加價《掃毒2》被飛". Hk.entertainment.appledaily.com.
  18. ^ "【10幾年冇搭過】三哥叫劉德華帶個女搭地鐵 華仔：你多事！". Hk.entertainment.appledaily.com.
  19. ^ "【 MOVIE6 新聞 】兩大影帝 劉德華 古天樂 挾 苗僑偉 掃把對決  1:1 港鐵站《 掃毒2 天地對決 》啟動禮". Blog.hkmovie6.com.
  20. ^ "【十幾年冇搭啫…】地鐵不同站有唔同色 劉德華感新奇狂影俾老婆睇". Hk.entertainment.appledaily.com.
  21. ^ "唔排隊賣飛都有其他問題 劉德華：見步行步".
  22. ^ "White Storm 2 – Drug Lords wrap up party".
  23. ^ "【港鐵站實景拍攝】劉德華現身《掃毒2》煞科日 孖苗僑偉開香檳 (13:43)". M.mingpao.com.
  24. ^ ""The White Storm 2: Drug Lords" still leads Chinese mainland box office".
  25. ^ "今年香港最大成本超級強片《掃毒2 天地對決》 大陸開票破港片紀錄".
  26. ^ "China Box Office: 'White Storm 2' Dominates as 'Spider-Man' Loses Grip".
  27. ^ "China Weekly Box Office - Entgroup".
  28. ^ "《掃毒2》內地上映12日破10億　超越《Marvel隊長》都唔會驚奇".
  29. ^ "China Weekly Box Office - Entgroup".
  30. ^ "China Weekly Box Office - Entgroup".
  31. ^ "China Weekly Box Office - Entgroup".
  32. ^ "扫毒2：天地对决 电影详情 中国票房".
  33. ^ "劉德華來台「掃毒」2天狂破紀錄！敬業事蹟一一曝光".
  34. ^ "【掃毒2 天地對決】全台票房 突破3000萬‼‼‼".
  35. ^ "《掃毒2》謝票場陳家樂向衛詩雅「求婚」　首日大收逾220萬計劃拍《掃毒３》".
  36. ^ "Weekly Box Office - Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART)".
  37. ^ "Weekly Box Office - Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART)".
  38. ^ "每週票房 - 香港國國際影視展 - HKTDC.com".
  39. ^ "每週票房 - 香港國國際影視展 - HKTDC.com".
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