2025 marked a downturn for both Hong Kong cinema and the local box office. The impact of cinema closures since mid-2024, with no new venues opening to replace them, began to show clearly in the year’s box-office performance. This, combined with the rescheduling of films originally slated for the Christmas market due to the fatal fire in late November, contributed to a colder winter for the market.
The number of first-run films released in Hong Kong rose slightly, from 291 in 2024 to 326 in 2025. Admissions, however, fell by a disappointing 18.15%, dropping from 19.06 million in 2024 to 15.6 million in 2025. Total box-office revenue also declined, down 15.79% from HK$1.343 billion in 2024 to HK$1.131 billion. The continuing slide in revenue led to the closure of six more cinemas, leaving only 52 in operation by the end of the year. Hong Kong productions also continued their gradual decline, with 43 local films released in 2025, compared with 50 in 2023 and 46 in 2024.
Although Back to the Past outperformed all other Hong Kong films, it was released on 31 December 2025, meaning that just HK$11.09 million of its earnings could be counted in the 2025 total. The continuing runs of Donnie Yen’s The Prosecutor and Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance also contributed approximately HK$13 million and HK$16 million respectively to the 2025 box-office total.
The overall mood surrounding Hong Kong cinema remained challenging. The year’s top-performing local film would not even have made the Top 10 in 2024. Tommy Ng’s local animation Another World, which had already been well received at overseas festivals, led the local box office and was the only film released in 2025 to gross more than HK$15 million. Its strong promotional campaign also helped raise the profile of an animation adapted from a short film.
Although Lunar New Year remains the key season for Hong Kong cinema, audiences seemed weary of local New Year comedies built around similar formulas. Albert Mak’s Hit and Fun grossed HK$12.56 million, around 40% less than Rob N Roll in 2024. Wong Jing and Patrick Kong’s Queen of Mahjong barely passed HK$3.5 million. The bigger disappointment was Juno Mak’s stylish action-crime film Sons of the Neon Night. Despite its star-studded cast, it drew relatively negative reviews from viewers who found the story difficult to follow. It ended its run with just HK$11.4 million against an estimated production budget of HK$600 million.
While films with the big stars can often boost the box office in Hong Kong, this did not hold true in 2025. Aaron Kwok, who remains highly regarded in both the music and film industries, saw disappointing results with James Hung’s family drama The First of May (HK$4.64 million) and the crime-action film Under Current (HK$6.42 million). The latter featured the evergreen duo of Simon Yam and Francis Ng, but it still failed to attract a significant audience.
There were, however, signs that audiences still had faith in local product when presented with fresh material. Adam Wong’s drama The Way We Talk, which depicted the challenges faced by the hearing-impaired, achieved a solid HK$13.5 million. Robin Lee’s sports-adventure documentary Four Trails, first released in a limited run in December 2024, benefited from strong word of mouth during its wider release and ultimately grossed more than HK$10 million.
2025 was also notable for the release of a number of productions which had been completed but shelved. Films of this kind performed very differently. Mark Wu and Ronald Cheng’s action drama Atonement grossed less than HK$2 million, with promotion kept relatively low-key. By contrast, Chan Wai-koon’s boxing drama Golden Boy took around HK$10 million, helped by the all-round commitment of its star Louis Cheung, was involved in the film’s action, production, and promotion.
Despite the drop in overall box office, Japanese cinema continued to perform strongly in Hong Kong in 2025, maintaining the third-largest market share. Revenue rose sharply from HK$118.0 million in 2024 to HK$205.8 millions, lifting Japan’s market share from 8.8% to 18.19%. A total of 60 Japanese films were released, matching the figures for both 2023 and 2024.
Animated features once again played a major role in that success. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle made a strong impact on the market, grossing HK$97.60 million and becoming the highest-grossing animated release of the year. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc and Doraemon the Movie: Nobita’s Art World Tales also performed well, earning HK$18.51 million and HK$16.27 million respectively. In addition, Lee Sang-il’s Kokuho grossed HK$6.87 million, exceeding expectations despite its three-hour running time, and winning strong appreciation from audiences for its traditional artistry.
Korean cinema, by contrast, showed signs of a waning influence in the Hong Kong market in 2025. Although the number of Korean films released rose from 18 in 2024 to 21 in 2025, total box office declined by 12%, from HK$29 million to HK$25.6 million. Because Hong Kong’s overall box office fell even more sharply, the market share of Korean films still recorded a slight increase, rising from 2.16% to 2.26%. Kim Bing-woo’s comic-adapted sci-fi action film Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy was the highest-grossing Korean release, taking HK$6.94 million, which was below expectations. In total, six Korean films grossed more than HK$1 million, all of them titles that had performed well in the domestic Korean market.
Thai films, meanwhile, remained largely absent from Hong Kong in 2025, with The Red Envelope grossing a disappointing HK$2.39 million.
Mainland Chinese films performed strongly. The blockbuster animation Ne Zha 2, released during the Lunar New Year period, grossed HK$58.77 million, setting a new record for the highest-grossing mainland Chinese film in Hong Kong, and driving market share up from 1.54% in 2024 to 10.14% in 2025. Five other mainland titles also grossed more than HK$5 million, all of them films that had already been successful in the mainland market: Wuershan’s sci-fi action Creation of Gods II: Demon Force (HK$9.12 million), Shen Ao’s war film Dead to Rights (HK$7.88 million), Larry Yang’s crime-action film The Shadow’s Edge (HK$6.64 million), Andrew Lau’s true-story adaptation The Dumpling Queen (HK$6.60 million), and Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo’s period detective film Detective Chinatown 1900 (HK$5.32 million).
Taiwanese cinema fared poorly by comparison, with none of the newly released titles grossing more than HK$1 million. The notable exception was the restored version of Edward Yang’s Yi Yi, which grossed HK$3.18 million, more than triple the amount earned during its original Hong Kong release in 2001.
The beginning of 2026 heralded a much stronger performance for Hong Kong cinema. Ng Yuen-fai and Jack Lai’s action drama Back to the Past, adapted from a popular television drama of 25 years ago and starring Louis Koo and Raymond Lam, grossed more than HK$50 million in its first eight days, after years in production. It was followed by Jack Ng’s nightclub drama Night King, starring Dayo Wong and Sammi Cheng and released during the Lunar New Year, which grossed more than HK$60 million in 10 days. After such a difficult 2025, there are signs that Hong Kong cinema may perform better in 2026.
Top 10 Box Office Hong Kong Films in 2025
1. Back to the Past, HK$89.90m*
2. Another World, HK$15.56m
3. The Way We Talk, HK$13.51m
4. Peg O’My Heart, HK$12.70m
5. Hit N Fun, HK$12.56m
6. Sons of the Neon Night, HK$11.40m
7. My Best Bet, HK$11.14m
8. Golden Boy, HK$10.18m
9. Vital Signs, HK$9.21m
10. Under Current, HK$6.54m
* Box office up to 24 February 2026
Ryan Law