Hong Kong premiere held ahead of August 20 opening; Cantonese dub packed with local slang

Bastille Post reported that to better engage audiences in Hong Kong and Macau, the production team specially created a new Cantonese dubbed version: director Mou Zhengyang personally selected each voice actor, and the dialogue was carefully adapted to blend Hong Kong humour with popular local slang for a "hilariously entertaining comedic effect."[1]

At the August 19 premiere, Mou said the film focuses on the Eight Immortals' mortal years before they became immortals: "The Eight Immortals speak for ordinary people, and we hope to present a more down-to-earth version of them"; he added that the group "include men and women, young and old, rich and poor, and noble and humble," reflecting the ancients' wish to embrace more ordinary people.[1]

Executive producer Ying Xujun said the film has already been released in the U.K., the U.S. and other markets with encouraging audience response: "People like the characters and are beginning to take an interest in the Chinese mythological system and Chinese cultural traditions behind them."[1]

Producer Cao Linlin said the film uses a traditional style of Chinese blue-green landscape painting to create the Penglai Fairyland, a setting with no real-world counterpart that posed a huge challenge before being successfully realized; the report noted the film has taken RMB 1.5 billion at the mainland box office since its July 18 release, as of August 13.[1]