Big-screen bonanza

Chow Yun-fat leads the cast of Man from Macao III in a promotional event in Beijing.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

In addition, many household names from Hong Kong's showbiz sector feature in the films' casts.

Gambling caper The Man from Macao III boasts a star cast including Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung. Hong Kong singer-actor Aaron Kwok plays the title role of The Monkey King 2.

Hong Kong filmmakers may have struggled with ups and downs in past decades, but they are now part of a golden era on the mainland, a movie market with the fastest growth potential in the world.

"China's booming market is somewhat like a gold mine. Major film studios from across the world are looking for a piece of the big cake," says Hong Kong director Yuen Woo-ping in an interview with China Daily.

Similarly, top Hong Kong filmmakers have transferred to the mainland.

"Actually, we came much earlier, when the mainland market was not as prosperous as it is now. We (Hong Kong filmmakers) were here (in mainland) then," says the 71-year-old veteran, recognized by the West for his martial arts choreography in The Matrix and Kill Bill series.

Most mainland moviegoers who were born in the 1970s and 1980s have strong emotional connections with Hong Kong films.