| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JUNE 14, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INTERNATIONAL -- ASIAN COVER STORY
John Chu, CEO, Centro Digital Pictures, Hong Kong (int'l edition) DON'T TELL JOHN CHU THAT Hong Kong's film industry is in decline. Chu co-produced The Stormriders, a special-effects-laden fantasy that was the city's biggest hit of 1998. While other Hong Kong movies were lucky to earn a few million, Chu's film pulled in over $10 million. In his bid to turn Centro into Hong Kong's Pixar, Chu is working on more effects-driven films. His success augurs well for the beleaguered industry, proving that audiences will see local movies if they are up to Hollywood standards. The fortysomething Chu caught movie fever from his producer father, and special effects intrigued him even as a student at Catholic school. He directed the school play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, including lots of smoke and mirrors. ''The Jesuits were quite wide-eyed,'' he recalls. Chu then studied filmmaking in Italy and tried to make serious art films upon his return. Movie studios turned him down, so Chu founded Centro. He now sympathizes with the bosses who rejected his artistry. ''That kind of movie, nobody wants to see,'' Chu says--now that he has figured out what Hong Kong audiences want. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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 The Stars of Asia RELATED ITEMS John Chu, CEO, Centro Digital Pictures, Hong Kong (int'l edition) ONLINE ORIGINAL: ``I'm More a Content Creator in the Digital Age'' (int'l edition) INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online | |||
