The film, starring Wang Baoqiang, is about the struggles of a film extra. It's considered to be a semi-autobiographical story about Chow's own experiences.

Chow says he selected Wang because the actor's rocky path also resembles that of the film's protagonist.

"We've both worked as extras," Chow says.

"So, we understand each other better. Wang told me when we met about his tough times early on. They reminded me of my own past and inspired my film."

Chow sires nostalgia among people on the Chinese mainland who were born in the 1970s and '80s.

But the film market is dominated by people in their 20s, who particularly enjoy comedies.

Ning Hao's Crazy Alien currently tops the presales box-office charts for the 2019 Spring Festival's first day, grossing 29.3 million yuan ($4.4 million), box-office tracker Maoyan's figures show. It's tightly followed by Han Han's comedy, Pegasus, at 28.8 million yuan. The New King of Comedy is in the third slot at around 18 million yuan.