'Kung Fu Hustle' 3D to rock China at Christmas

Stephen Chow's comedy Kungfu blockbuster "Kung Fu Hustle" will be rereleased in 3D to rock the Christmas season in China, the movie's distributors said.

The Columbia Pictures said the film will be rereleased on Dec 24, 2014 in 3D with two versions in Mandarin or Cantonese. The movie was originally released in December 2004 and this year marked its tenth anniversary.

The studios said the classic movie has been reworked and enhanced. It was remade in 3D and the visual effects have been digitally enhanced and reconstructed, while the sound effects have also been upgraded. "It is not just a restoration, but also a comprehensive enhancement," a press release said.

The rereleased movie will be presented by China Film Group, Huayi Brothers and the Columbia Pictures.

"Kung Fu Hustle," directed, co-written and co-produced by Stephen Chow, was the last film in which Chow also stars in the lead role. It grossed more than 170 million yuan on the Chinese mainland, HK$61.27 million in Hong Kong and US$17 million in the United States, making it one of the highest-grossing films in mainland and Hong Kong history. It grossed US$101 million worldwide, and was generally well received by critics, earning the score of 90 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes based on 166 reviews. It picked up six major awards at the Hong Kong Film Awards and five more awards at the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan.

It is not the first time that movie companies have tried to cash in on the nostalgia of the generation that grew up watching Stephen Chow. The director's 20-year-old cult classic comedy "A Chinese Odyssey" was rereleased in October but did not perform very well due to its limited run and low-profile promotion. But "Kung Fu Hustle" looks to make a bigger impact as it is being released as an enhanced version and will be released in the prime Christmas season like a new movie.

Another movie that is going to take a cut of the release pie will be the 3D makeover of "The Grandmaster" by Wong Kar-Wai. The film's director and a team of 200 visual effects professionals have spent a year polishing the critically-applauded Kung fu epic, and it will be released on Jan. 8, 2015 to mark its second anniversary of its initial release.