Edison's Total Damage

Edison Chen has had his advertisements for Manhattan Titanium, a credit card company, pulled, as a result of the ongoing naughty photos scandal, Sing Tao Daily, a Hong Kong newspaper, reported today. The advertising campaign was launched last month.

This is the latest blow for the Hong Kong star, after being cut from an upcoming movie last Tuesday. Columbia Pictures announced that its film Jump, a joint production with Stephen Chow’s company Star Overseas, which was due for release 1 May, had been put back until 1 October. The Hong Kong-made film was to star Edison alongside Kitty Zhang.

Sing Tao Daily estimated that the scandal could cost Edison, who was seen as one of the coolest entertainers in Hong Kong showbiz, HK$10m a year in work and endorsements.

The newspaper reported that Edison earned over HK$2m as an actor last year, including his voiceover work for the Cantonese version of Shrek the Third.

Edison’s reputation has recently been boosted by roles in Hollywood films like The Grudge 2 and the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight.

Sing Tao Daily reported that Edison could demand a HK$400,000 fee for a 20-minute singing performance.

Sponsors of Edison include Pepsi, Levi’s, Jacobs & Co, Samsung and EPS. Sing Tao Daily estimated that the star could demand HK$1m for each endorsement.

A Pepsi spokesperson said that the company would not drop Edison but are constantly monitoring the situation. An EPS spokesperson said the same.

Edison’s company Clot Inc also does a lot of collaborative work with companies like Nike and Coach.