Hong Kong Horror Movie Rigor Mortis Takes a Bite Out of Overseas Box Office

Steve Barton   |  

Nov 19, 2013

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We’ve had our eyes on the Hong Kong vampire flick Rigor Mortis for a while. U.S. audience have to wait several months before Juno Mak’s bloody mixture of comedy and horror sees a Stateside release, but it’s nice to see overseas audiences are embracing it.

Variety is reporting that Rigor Mortis has taken in a total of $17.5 million (that’s $2.23 million USD) since its opening four weeks ago. That success was repeated last week when it became the top newcomer at the Taiwanese box office, pulling down NT$13 million (or $400,000 USD) in just ten days.

It’s always interesting when a horror film captures the public’s attention, no matter what corner of the world we’re talking about. Sure, Rigor Mortis probably won’t take the U.S. box office by storm, but it will be interesting to see what’s got international horror fans all worked up.

We’ll have a chance to see this one in spring 2014, when Well Go USA releases the throwback horror film. Rigor Mortis will be released in Japan by Shochiku in mid 2014. Ascot Elite will release it in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Viswas Films distributes to India, Distribucion de Peliculas Zatmeni releases it in Mexico, and Solar Films will put it out in The Philippines.

Definitely one to keep an eye on once 2014 hits.

Synopsis
RIGOR MORTIS stars action movie veteran Chin Siu-ho (Siu-ho) as a former vampire hunting actor who now finds himself reaching the end of the line as a washed-up star, separated from his wife and alienated from his son. Down on his luck and with barely a dollar to his name, he checks into Room 2442 in the housing estate, an allegedly haunted flat. His aim is to end his misery by doing himself in, but instead Siu-ho is interrupted by some of the other “occupants” of the building including a Taoist master-exorcist (Anthony Chan), a traumatized housewife with a tragic past (Kara Hui), as well as a seemingly benign elderly woman (Paw Hee-ching) who has an empty coffin conspicuously hanging in the middle of her apartment. Soon it becomes apparent to Siu-ho that the people around him and the situation are far from normal. Despite his lack of belief in superstition, Siu-ho is soon thrust into the battle of his life as vicious vampires with unsettled business begin to rise from the dead…

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