Hong Kong cinema scores 2 box office hits in 2024, but outlook still uncertain

The Last Dance and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In were huge successes, but overall industry revenue declined as theatres closed down

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Dayo Wong (left) and Michael Hui in The Last Dance, which raked in HK$134 million at the local box office as of December 22. Photo: Emperor Motion Pictures

Published: 11:30am, 31 Dec 2024Updated: 4:53pm, 31 Dec 2024

Hong Kong cinema delivered an impressive report card in 2024 with two local films surpassing the HK$100 million (US$12.9 million) mark at the box office for the first time in a single year, but industry players said it was premature to speak of a full recovery for the sector.

While box office takings over the Christmas holiday period rose almost seven per cent from last year’s 20-year-low of HK$19.6 million to HK$21 million, overall year-on-year revenue declined and at least eight cinemas have ceased operations in the past year.

Among the three dozen odd Hong Kong films released this year, The Last Dance stole the show. The poignant drama about the local funeral trade and family traditions became the highest-grossing Chinese language film in Hong Kong history, with box office figures hitting HK$134 million as of December 22.

The film bagged four awards at the 61st Asia-Pacific Film Festival in Malaysia earlier this month, and its lead actress Michelle Wai Si-nga also clinched a best actress prize at the Huading Awards in Macau in October.

The Last Dance, featuring Hong Kong comedians Michael Hui Kwun-man and Dayo Wong Tze-wah and set within the backdrop of the funeral business, conveys a message about honouring the dead while not neglecting the living.

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In emerged as the city’s most-watched local film by audience numbers in the summer, bringing in a total of HK$107 million at the box office as of July.