Initial D

De Yahoo:

Darth Vader, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are feeling the heat at the box office from an unusual rival — a movie based on a Japanese comic book, directed by Hong Kongers and starring a Taiwanese pop star making his debut in the movies.

Initial D, the story of a young street car racer, has stunned Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and the action thriller Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring Jolie and Pitt, at the Hong Kong box office.

The movie grossed $3.6 million over 10 days as of last weekend. By comparison, the latest Star Wars installment has made just $2.4 million over 46 days. Mr. and Mrs. Smith fared better, earning $2.8 million in 25 days.

At the helm are Andrew Lau and Alan Mak — the directing duo behind the acclaimed Hong Kong police thriller Infernal Affairs, which is being remade into a Hollywood film directed by Martin Scorcese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

[tags=film industry, Japan]