Rickshaw rider Sly comes in for some tough questioningBy Alison WisemanThis article was first published on May 30, 1994Tough-guy Sylvester Stallone came in for some even tougher questioning as he drew up to the Planet Hollywood launch party in a maiden drawn rickshaw last night (May 29, 1994).Actor Sylvester Stallone arrives in a rickshaw for the opening night of Planet Hollywood outlet in Hong Kong in 1994. Photo: AFPBut when compere Paul Fonoroff asked him if his entrance was politically correct he managed to come up with an answer.“Politically correct? I don’t know ... but it felt great,” mused Sly.“Anyway, who am I to go against custom,” he added, after a little thought.But it was then to the long-awaiting crowds in Canton Road that he turned, and caused near pandemonium when he went walk-about, although the bodyguards were never far away to ensure that things didn’t get out of hand.Would-be star-gazers began staking out their vantage points at about 4.30 pm as police closed off the road to traffic, only to find they had almost four hours to go before somebody approaching a major celebrity rolled up.
On This Day | Jackie Chan, Sly Stallone attend 1994 Planet Hollywood opening – SCMP archive
On this day 32 years ago, a star-studded night with Bruce Willis, van Damme and others launched Asia’s first Planet Hollywood in Hong Kong.
TL;DRAI
Sylvester Stallone attended the May 1994 Planet Hollywood launch in Hong Kong, arriving by rickshaw and triggering near-pandemonium during an unscripted walkabout on Canton Road. The archived SCMP piece is a period snapshot of the celebrity-driven restaurant chain's Asia expansion — Planet Hollywood later filed for bankruptcy twice, a cautionary case study in brand-over-fundamentals retail strategy.
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