Hong Kong box office receipts drop by 37% over Lunar New Year

Hong Kong’s box office receipts during the Lunar New Year break dropped by nearly 40 per cent compared with the same period in 2024, in stark contrast to mainland China, where cinema ticket sales hit a record over the holiday.

The revenue from film screenings across five days from last Tuesday to Saturday stood at HK$30.6 million (US$3.9 million), 37.1 per cent less than the HK$48.6 million generated during the same period in 2024.

“The results are disappointing. When compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, the box office revenue this year recorded a staggering drop of 59.3 per cent,” Hong Kong Box Office Limited, a company which tracks cinema bookings, said.

“[We] hope that audiences that have yet to go the theatres will come out to support the festive films.”

Topping the box office charts were two local productions: Hit N Fun, which earned HK$7.5 million over the five days, and My Best Bet, which generated HK$5.8 million. In third place was the mainland production Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force, which took in HK$4.2 million.

They were followed by Paddington in Peru, Legends of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants, and Queen of Mahjong.