Big Mummy, via Variety Asia Online:

“The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” scared up boffo numbers on its opening day in Hong Kong.

Initial reports put Thursday’s gross at HK$3,484,488 ($467,000,) but numbers were later revised upwards when the territory’s largest multiplex The Grand Cinema belatedly reported its numbers. When midnight sneak previews were added in total hit HK$3.9 million ($500,000) from 39 complexes in Hong Kong and Macau.

According to distributor Edko, total is the biggest opening day of 2008 in the territory, the biggest Thursday opening on record for a non-holiday weekend and the biggest opening day for a Universal title since U slate began to be handled by Edko.

The Mummy is one of the worst reviewed films of the year, scoring even lower than Love Guru. I guess no one gives a shit about reviews.

Unrelated to anything else, just, well, because I wanna, some of you will thank me for this

The HK Observatory says the temp in Sai Kung right now is 31.5 degrees. My car says it’s 33.5. I believe my car. Humidity is at 69% and the heat index is 38.6 and I definitely believe that. It’s fricking hot out in the open ground, walking under the sun. But it’s also a beautiful clear blue sky day, one of those rare glorious HK summer days – especially rare because it’s a Sunday and not one of those weeks where it was clear and hot all week and then raining on the weekend. Heat be damned, if every summer time day was like this I’d be doing the Ferris Bueller “How could I possibly be expected to go to school on a day like this” thing.

The flip side is that everyone and their grandmother has decided to come up here today. The 8 story Wilson car park in town was full, with a line of cars waiting outside. Out by the town swimming pool, not only were the car parks full, people were parking on whatever stretch of sidewalk or grass they could get at.

We thought about turning around and heading home but managed to get a spot at Pak Sha Wan/Kau Sai San and so a long leisurely lunch at Hebe 101. If you’ve never been there, this is one of my regular spots. A 2 story village house converted into a restaurant, the ground floor is open and filled with overstuffed leather sofas. Dining room on first floor, rooftop bar. From the roof there’s a view of the marina across the road, from the ground floor it’s just the traffic along the main road. Even so, the food is certainly good enough, there’s a stack of newspapers and magazines, sit back under the ceiling fans and let the day go by.

I could have sat there all afternoon, unfortunately I have chores that need doing around the house. Especially that last night, my computer decided not to be able to mount the 1 terabyte drive (2 tb, raid 1) that houses a big chunk of my MP3 collection. Somehow I managed to not obsess over this last night but today is another story.

Speaking of MP3s, lemme give another plug to Singapore’s Big O webzine. Among other things, they put up a different series of what they term ROIO (Recordings Of Indeterminate Origin) with new ones each week. This weekend sees two complete Miles Davis concerts from the Fillmore East, Nigel Kennedy with Jeff Beck, Aretha’s sister Erma Franklin backed up by Electric Flag in San Francisco in 1968, as well as stuff from Nick Lowe, Yo La Tengo, Led Zeppelin, The Who and, wait for it, The Clash live in Hong Kong in 1982.

Okay, got work to do. But maybe there is time to stretch out in the sun for a quick nap?