Jackie Chan failed miserably, is the action legend a thing of the past?

According to Sinchew, the new action movie Karate Kid: Legends starring Jackie Chan and costing $45 million to produce, opened to a gloomy atmosphere in theaters in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Since its release on June 5, the movie Karate Kid: Legends has only earned a total of 69,000 HKD (equivalent to about 8,800 USD), becoming one of Jackie Chan's lowest-grossing opening weekend films in its home market.

In Hong Kong, the film was quickly overshadowed by Hollywood blockbusters like Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Ballerina, and even surpassed by a local film, The Unforgivable Sin.

Industry analysts say that at the current ticket sales rate, Karate Kid: Legends is unlikely to reach the 1 million HKD mark, and is at risk of becoming the biggest failure in the veteran actor's decades-long career.

The situation in mainland China is no better. Before the film’s release, total revenue from pre-orders was only about 820,000 yuan – a figure that clearly shows the indifference of domestic audiences towards the film.

In addition to opinions expressing regret for Jackie Chan and his new project, social networks are also actively discussing the question: "Is Jackie Chan no longer as attractive as before?"

Not only Jackie Chan, many veteran artists of Hong Kong cinema also fell into the same situation. Andy Lau’s Gentleman of the Red Carpet – despite an investment of 260 million yuan – only earned about 80 million yuan, suffering heavy losses. Fox Hunt starring Tony Leung Chiu Wai also did not escape the same fate, with an estimated loss of nearly 200 million yuan.

What these works have in common is that they rely on the past glory of veteran stars but lack creativity and cannot keep up with new tastes. Outdated action formulas, simple storytelling and lack of emotional depth make it difficult for the films to make an impression in a context where viewers are increasingly demanding in terms of content, images and techniques.

Many critics say that the "power of nostalgia" is no longer enough to attract audiences to the cinema. The current generation of young audiences care about novelty, deep stories and emotional connections, not simply choosing a film based on a famous name. This is also the reason why young faces like Wang Yibo, Liu Haoran or new generation directors are leading the box office.

In this context, Chow Yun Fat is considered to have made a wise choice. After the failure of Don't Call Me God of Gamblers, he decided to temporarily withdraw instead of continuing to participate in unsuitable projects. His subsequent comeback in Detective Chinatown 1900, with a revenue of more than 3.6 billion yuan, proved that if you know how to choose the right time and the right project, veteran names can still shine.

The successive failures of Hong Kong cinema's "monuments" are ringing a wake-up call for an industry that was once the pride of Asia. While audience tastes have changed rapidly - prioritizing novelty, multidimensionality and emotional depth - Hong Kong cinema seems to be still struggling with old formulas and past glory.

The strong rise of Korean cinema and the increasingly deep influence of Hollywood mea.n that Hong Kong cannot continue to rely on its past reputation to maintain its position. Without a strong shift in content, filmmaking, and production thinking, Hong Kong cinema will soon be eliminated from the regional and international race.

In that context, if veteran artists do not proactively renew themselves, or are not willing to give up their place to accompany and guide the next generation, then each return to the big screen will no longer be a glorious comeback. Instead, it will be a regrettable step backward, unintentionally overshadowing the legacy they once helped build.

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