Somewhere, deep in the dirty recesses of our souls, we all knew 3D porn was coming. It just may have gotten here quicker than any of us might have imagined. 3D Sex And Zen: Extreme Ecstasy has taken the Hong Kong box office by storm, grossing more than seventeen million Hong Kong dollars in less than a week on just seventy-three screens. That's more than two million dollars in US currency and an absolute haul based on the total population of Hong Kong.
A remake, Sex And Zen is a reworking of a 1991 erotic comedy of the same title. It follows a sexually repressed, overeducated man who gives into temptation after meeting a duke of suspect morals. His new friend has an entire harem at his disposal, and while the finished product doesn't feature penetration, it does show plenty of full frontal nudity and foreplay. Think of it like late night Skinimax.
To put this into perspective, Avatar formerly accounted for the highest grossing single day in the history of Hong Kong cinema with receipts of three hundred and forty thousand US dollars. 3D Sex And Zen: Extreme Ecstasy took in three hundred and sixty thousand last Thursday, good for the new record and plenty of head scratches from American producers wondering if the concept might play as well over here.
According to NPR, much of the take likely came from Chinese consumers who traveled specifically to see the film. Without a rating system to keep kids from having the time of their lives, the movie is, for all practical purposes, unscreenable in China, but plans are under way to roll Sex and Zen out in Singapore, France, Italy and Australia.
Only time will tell whether American audiences are willing to pay to see either this or something like it, but if Sex And Zen continues crushing in foreign markets, you can bet your morals we'll find out soon enough.
