Starring the award-winning actor Tony Leung, the Chinese crime movie 'Fox Hunt' was originally scheduled for release on January 8, 2021. After being sealed for 4 years, it was released unexpectedly in China on the 4th, becoming one of the most noteworthy films during the Qingming Festival period! 'Fox Hunt' is based on a real case, depicting the story of financial fraud criminal 'Dai Yichen' (played by Tony Leung) who appears in Paris, France, and the Chinese detective 'Ye Jun' (played by Duan Yihong) leading the 'Fox Hunt Team' to conduct a cross-border recovery! It is reported that 'Fox Hunt' was shot with an investment of 200 million RMB (about 120 million MYR), filmed on location in France, and featured collaborations between the two award-winning actors Tony Leung and Duan Yihong, as well as actors from France and Ukraine. Undoubtedly, it is one of the major works of the first half of the year.
'Fox Hunt' reported a total box office of 9.62 million RMB (about 5.86 million MYR) on its first day of release on the 4th, ranking third among Qingming Festival releases, and by the 6th, the total box office had reached 18.5 million RMB (about 11.27 million MYR). However, according to box office revenue sharing ratios, media estimates suggest that 'Fox Hunt' will incur a loss of over 180 million RMB (about 110 million MYR), making it the biggest flop of the Qingming period!
The biggest selling point of 'Fox Hunt' is the collaboration between international film star Tony Leung and Huading award-winning actor Duan Yihong. However, their characters only meet in two scenes, leaving the audience greatly disappointed. Furthermore, Tony Leung's character remains low-key throughout the film, always appearing in dark-colored suits; Duan Yihong's presence is even less prominent than Leung's; and the 'Bond girl' Olga Kurylenko has limited scenes and room to perform. The three stars seemingly serve as a backdrop to Xiahou Yunshan.
Xiahou Yunshan is not well-known in China, yet she had a profound influence on the production of 'Fox Hunt'. She not only plays the lead role of 'Guo Xiaojia' but also took on roles such as screenwriter and editing director. Some media have described Xiahou Yunshan as a 'scapegoat' for 'Fox Hunt', accusing her of excessively adding scenes for herself and crafting Guo Xiaojia into a brilliant character, encompassing undercover skills, martial arts prowess, hacking abilities, and English proficiency, essentially turning herself into a saint-like role, completely ignoring the internationally recognized and stronger actors like Tony Leung. It's suggested that Xiahou Yunshan's self-serving actions led to audience dissatisfaction with the storyline of 'Fox Hunt', becoming the main reason for the poor box office performance.