"This explains why people understood the connotations of the films only years later.
"When people born in the 1980s gained more say, thanks to the internet, it was reasonable to expect these films would get more popular," he says.
Nevertheless, though many first-generation Chinese netizens saw the films as a "love bible", its creators did not have such ambitions.
For instance, actor Man-tat Ng, who acted in the earlier films, once said: "The lines were written in that way because they sounded funny."
Interestingly, Lau was rebuked by critics when he first resurrected the Monkey King legend through the two films.
"An avalanche of criticism from Hong Kong critics made me decide to leave the film industry and move to Canada," says Lau.
"However, friends, including Chow, kept telling me that the films had suddenly become popular in the mainland. This gave me the confidence to return.
"People now show passionate support for the previous films, even on the sets. It's really touching to see that everyone in the crew, even temporary workers, are fans of the films," says the director, turning emotional.
"I will give you a happy ending this time, and you will probably find you've watched A Chinese Odyssey with the wrong mindset," he says, smiling.
So, will Lau's new movie get fans to throng the cinemas?
Not everybody is keen.
"I won't go," says Xiao.
"A sequel is made after so many years, and the main cast from the earlier films is replaced. For me, this means the maker merely aims to make money."
"I will wait until it is available online."
Possibly, the sequel belongs only to cyberspace.
