The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center exploded into pieces, and the iconic star ferry was sucked into the air around Victoria Harbor. Giant robots fell alongside the Bank of China Tower, while a supercar was earlier drifting in the packed streets of Sham Shui Po old town.

"Transformers: Age of Extinction" [Photo/1905.com]

When Hollywood has turned these Hong Kong's landmarks onto the movie screen of the worldwide summer hit "Transformers: Age of Extinction", it won over the local moviegoers thanks to the heavy doze of the familiar sceneries.

As of Thursday, Michael Bay's blockbuster, the fourth in the series, has grossed 82 million HK dollars (about 10.5 million U.S. dollars) in local theaters after only two weeks, according to the latest report from Hong Kong Box Office Ltd., not to mention it having scored a record for first week debut in Hong Kong cinemas and the best non-holiday opening day.

There were still a good number of people lining up to buy tickets for "Transformers 4" at a theater in Causeway Bay on Wednesday, a working day. Despite the movie went into the third weekend of release, it continues to amaze Hong Kong by running over 110 screens from more than 12,000 admissions on that day, according to the local film website Wmoov.

"I find it very amusing when I heard Li Bingbing arguing with Ray Lui," said Mr. Law, who just came out of the show, adding that he has never expected to see so many Hong Kong scenes in a Hollywood blockbuster before. "I am quite excited and touched after seeing all those familiar buildings."

Another audience Mr. Li said he has been a fan of the " Transformers" franchise for years, and this fourth entry was bloated with eye-popping action sequences, while Hong Kong artists ' participation was another highlight.

A manager from the UA Cinemas' marketing department told Xinhua that the ticket sales of "Transformers 4" has surpassed the prior three owing to a large pool of fans the sequel has accumulated and the new IMAX-3D technology first ever used in the shooting.

He said the 2D and 3D movies generally start selling tickets two to three days in advance, while the IMAX ones would start a week ahead, with the tickets for "Transformers 4" sold out very soon.

"The movie is in its third week of release now and the public excitement may be a little cooler than two weeks ago, yet the movie's popularity remains amazingly hot in the city," he said.

Meanwhile, the big-budget film also became a heat topic on some of the major local internet forums. User ID "jj1069" said, "The movie is definitely a must-see as the foreign production crew made all the way to Hong Kong to shoot the most explosive scenes, and the global premiere was also held here."

Netizen "pkric" also said, "Using Hong Kong as the backdrop for this blockbuster movie makes me feel thrilled!"

The outstanding box office performance also boosted the hot sales of the movie-related products. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, which was given heavy exposure in the film, specifically launched the "Transformers" toys to meet the market.

The toy models were all displayed at the most visible places near the store entrance, and the large stickers of giant robots battling on the shopping window created a stereoscopic vision.

The success of "Transformers 4" in Hong Kong can be traced back to its cultural influence on Hong Kong people starting from the 1980s, local film critics Lebender told Xinhua.

The related toys, comics and animation have already been a pop culture among young people and lasted for a long time, while the special effects in the movie helped realize many things that people could only imagine before, Lebender said.

He also believes the Hong Kong elements in "Transformers 4" propped up the box office in the city in a positive way.

"The Hollywood movie producers are increasingly experimenting with Hong Kong and the mainland elements. It shows they are paying more and more attention to the Chinese market."

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