"The draw is too strong," he says. "Japanese pop culture, sexy stars and ghosts are a potent formula on the youth of Taiwan. Even if it's not as good, people will still go to see it."
Liao points to the Blair Witch Project as an example to back up his point. "That was a great movie and it did extremely well in America," he says. "But in Asia it didn't do very well at all."
This is despite, as Liao points out, definite similarities in the styles of the two films. The Japanese film, Liao says, did better because the youth of Taiwan not only relate better and are more familiar with Japanese culture, but also they want to make it a part of their daily lives.
"Seeing these Ring films, talking about them with friends, is a way of achieving this goal of assimilation," Liao says.
So prepare for another wave of Ring fever starting this weekend. Expect to hear people talking about the film, suggesting the film, even screaming about the film.
Get ready for a tidal wave of ticket sales, posters and commercials featuring that ghostly, white clad woman, Sadako, as she jerks and lurches her way along, hair obscuring her face, out of the silver screen and back into the pop culture consciousness of Taiwan.
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