"King of Comedy" Stephen Chow announced Monday that he will collaborate with China's short video giant Douyin to develop exclusive micro-dramas, a genre of short episodic dramas typically ranging from a few minutes to 15 minutes per episode.

A promotional poster for "The 9527 Theater." [Image courtesy of Douyin]

Both parties will collaborate on developing and operating "The 9527 Theater" project, and the first season of the premium micro-drama under the project, "Jin Zhu Yu Ye" (literally "Golden Pig Jade Leaf"), is expected to debut on Douyin in May this year. Chow will serve as producer, with comedic director Yi Xiaoxing as executive producer. The production is expected to feature an A-list actress.

The term "9527" originates from the classic 1993 comedy film "Flirting Scholar," in which Chow's character, while disguised as a servant in a wealthy politician's home, is dubbed "No. 9527." This reference has since become a popular meme.

"The micro-drama has rapidly developed in recent years as a territory for technological and media innovation," Chow said. "Through this collaboration with Douyin on the micro-drama theater, I hope to bring more joy to the audience. I am very excited about this new endeavor and look forward to everyone's support."

In his collaboration with Douyin, Chow, as the initiator, will join forces with outstanding young creators to produce content directly for users.

Chow is currently involved in various initiatives, collaborating with numerous talented individuals. These include Web 3.0 projects and his upcoming film project, "Shaolin Women's Soccer." Fans are also eagerly anticipating the release of "Mermaid 2," the long-awaited sequel to the 2016 fantasy comedy blockbuster "Mermaid."

Micro-dramas have gained popularity on social media platforms over the past few years.

According to statistics, the micro-drama industry has experienced rapid growth. In 2021, only 398 micro-dramas were registered with the National Radio and Television Administration. However, in 2022, this number skyrocketed to 2,775, representing a year-on-year increase of about 600%. From January to November 2023, the known number had already reached 2,581. Additionally, the "2023-2024 China Micro-drama Market Research Report," released by third-party data mining and analysis agency iiMedia Research, stated that the market size of China's online micro-drama industry in 2023 reached 37.39 billion yuan ($5.2 billion), a year-on-year increase of 267.65%. The report further predicts that by 2027, the market size of China's online micro-drama industry will surpass 100 billion yuan.

In 2023, on the Douyin platform alone, more than 500 micro-dramas each achieved over 100 million views, with 12 garnering more than 1 billion views each. As a result, Douyin has initiated a project to support the micro-drama genre by providing funding and facilitating streaming, offering more creative opportunities for movie companies, media, and individuals.

In its press release on Jan. 29, Douyin announced that it will continue to explore and promote the development of micro-dramas. By collaborating with Chow, they aim to introduce new subjects, themes and approaches to enhance diversity in the genre. Douyin has also pledged to collaborate with more renowned directors to explore and innovate in micro-drama creation in the coming year. Additionally, they plan to experiment with interactions between short and long-form content to inject more vitality into classic film and film franchises.

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