The movie, which stars Japanese porn stars Hara Saori and Suo Yukiko and Hong Kong actress Vonnie Liu, tells the story of a sexually frustrated scholar in ancient China who loses himself in the harem of a duke he befriends. Shiu, whose father Stephen Shiu Sr. People have always thought that you need 3-D technology for this kind of content. So people were very curious," he said. However, Shiu's movie is still a pioneering attempt at using new 3-D technology in theatrical releases of erotic films, given that the market in the West is now largely dominated by DVD releases.
The movie's Hong Kong performance has also been boosted by an influx of mainland Chinese viewers, whom Shiu estimates accounted for up to half of the business at some theaters. Although former British colony Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in , it still maintains a separate political system -- and film regulatory regime.
While Hong Kong has a film ratings system, mainland China doesn't, which effectively rules out erotic content. It's not the first time mainland viewers have traveled to Hong Kong to evade censorship by Chinese authorities. Many mainlanders crossed over to watch the uncut version of Oscar-winning Taiwanese director Ang Lee's sexually explicit spy thriller "Lust, Caution.
Hong Kong theater operators have also sought to cash in on the novelty factor by staging women-only screenings. Shiu is also targeting a May release for Singapore, although the filmmakers are still working with local censors on the final cut.
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