European Premiere | In Competition
Hong Kong, 2026, 133’, Cantonese
Directed by: Jack Ng
Screenplay: Jack Ng, Ho Miu-ki, Jay Cheung
Cinematography (color): Anthony Pun
Editing: Angie Lam, Gin Jin, Cheng Wai-lun
Production Design: Ceci Fok
Music: III IrisLiu, Hanz Au, Jolyon Cheung
Producers: Bill Kong, Ivy Ho, Jack Ng
Cast: Dayo Wong (Foon Kwan), Sammi Cheng (Dame V), Louise Wong (Coco), Fish Liew (Mimi), Yeung Wai-lun (Turf), Lo Chun-yip (Prince Fung), Ho Kai-wa (Ace), Renci Yeung (Bobo), Mandy Tam (ChiLing), Li Sum-ling (Crystal), Hazel Lam (BB), Tang Lai-ying (Japanese-speaking staff), Kay Choi (Kwai Fong), Tse Kwan-ho (Philip Siu), Stephen Tung Wai (Boss Fun), Hui So-ying (Mrs Wong)
Date of First Release in Territory: February 17th, 2026
Hong Kong’s Dayo Wong box-office phenomenon continues with
Night King, the latest Chinese New Year film featuring the star to pass the HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) barrier – something only four local films have done. The popular standup comic became a bona fide festive-season movie star with 2018’s
Agent Mr Chan, and now six more hits (including the all-time top two domestic films) have confirmed his standing. It’s an astonishing transformation for the down-to-earth actor and director who before all this called himself “box-office poison”.
With comedy-drama
Night King, Wong teams up again with writer-director Jack Ng after their 2023 smash
A Guilty Conscience and ventures into the world of hostess clubs. The year is 2012 and the venue is the EJ Entertainment nightclub in Tsim Sha Tsui East, where times are tough. The district, famed in the 1980s and ’90s for glitzy hostess clubs that would drain the wallets of big spenders, has seen nightlife drift to hipper, smaller and cheaper venues elsewhere, and now EJ is the sole survivor.
Manager Foon Kwan (Dayo Wong) is doing his best to keep EJ afloat and its hostesses in employment, but now there’s an added challenge when the club owner dies and his wife wants to sell. The boss of rival Muses Group moves to acquire EJ and installs club manager and Foon’s ex-wife Dame V (Sammi Cheng) as the new manager. First up for her is an instant overhaul: Foon’s focus on staff loyalty is passé to her, and what she wants is a flushing out of low-achieving hostesses and a big jump in income.
Foon and his deputy Turf (Yeung Wai-lun) have just 30 days to do the turnaround, but then more trouble comes. First Foon is sacked, and then the Muses boss’s scheming son Prince Fung (Lo Chun-yip) says the acquisition is off and demands that Dame V, as guarantor, raise funds to buy out the business. Fighting to survive will be costly, and it’ll require the combined smarts of Dame V, Foon, Turf and all hostesses to keep the club open.
The hostess club scene wasn’t without sleaze, but
Night King’s provenance as a Lunar New Year film means that’s downplayed in favour of uplifting themes of honour, loyalty and perseverance, with a touch of romance too. Dayo Wong’s dry comic delivery and everyman style are on full display in Foon, and he’s filled with fighting spirit. Wong’s often paired with Yeung Wai-lun, prompting delightful set pieces as the two trade goofy riffs. Sammi Cheng plays it straight in a quietly lovelorn character (and contributes her 1997 dance hit
Everyone Is a Superstar to a montage), and the hostesses come to life with a who’s who of rising starlets. On hand are noted actresses Fish Liew, Louise Wong, Renci Yeung and more, plus the little-known Kay Choi as plucky and enthusiastic Kwai Fong.
Night King isn’t the first Hong Kong film to suggest the hostess club scene as an allegory for a Hong Kong in decline and people trying to soldier on through it. But as a Lunar New Year production, Jack Ng’s film has leeway to clearly spell out themes for a hometown audience keen to hear supportive messages after a string of challenging years. At one point Foon opens his heart to Dame V, saying, “There are people and places that you’ve seen at their best. You’ve shared a lot of joy with them. Even though they’ve changed, you can’t just let them go on a whim.” Foon’s lines reflect his feelings for both Dame V and the club, but they hold just as well for standing with contemporary Hong Kong itself, no matter how troubling the times may be.
Jack Ng
Jack Ng graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2000 and immediately joined the film industry. After serving as writer and assistant director for Dante Lam’s Hit Team (2001), Ng became a frequent collaborator of Lam, penning screenplays for films including Beast Stalker (2008), The Stool Pigeon (2010), The Viral Factor (2012) and Unbeatable (2013). He has also written for films by Soi Cheang (Love Battlefield, 2004) and Wilson Yip (SPL, 2005). Ng became a director with the 2023 hit A Guilty Conscience, winner of Best Film at the Hong Kong Film Awards and currently the all-time number two domestic film in the Hong Kong box office.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
2023 – A Guilty Conscience
2026 – Night King