Two Hong Kong films broke records by surpassing HK$100 million (US$12.9 million) in box office takings last year, but that did little to ease the woes of cinemas in the city.
Audiences are shrinking, and venues are closing. From a peak of more than 125,000 seats in 112 cinemas in 1994, there are now under 40,000 seats in 56 cinemas, according to the Hong Kong Theatres Association.
At the same time, streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+ have caught on, allowing users to watch what they like, when they want, at home.
People in Hong Kong are simply not going to the cinema compared with how they used to, mirroring trends elsewhere.
Cinema chain UA closed down in 2021, amid the pandemic, after 36 years in Hong Kong. It had six cinemas before it shut.
Last year’s two big hits – The Last Dance and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In – brought crowds back to the cinemas, but were not enough to reverse the trend.
