Hong Kong Culture, Sports and Tourism Council: Hong Kong's film box office revenue reached HK$286 million in the first half of the year, which is 32% higher than the full year of 2025

The Zhitong Finance App learned that the Acting Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hong Kong, Liu Zhen, said in response to lawmakers' questions in the Legislative Council today (July 15) that the total box office revenue of Hong Kong cinemas in the first half of 2026 was 25% higher than that of the first half of 2025. Among them, the box office revenue of Hong Kong films reached HK$286 million, which is 32% higher than the revenue for the whole year of 2025. In fact, the total box office revenue of movies in 2025 was HK$1,131 million, which is about the average overall box office of HK$1,133 million in the previous five years (2020 to 2024). Compared to before the pandemic, total movie box office revenue in 2025 fell by about 41% compared to HK$1,923 billion in 2019, but the box office of Hong Kong films only fell by about 14% during the same period. It can be seen that the total box office revenue of Hong Kong cinemas fell, mainly due to a lack of blockbuster movies sold internationally.

Liu Zhen pointed out that in recent years, due to the impact of the epidemic, diversification of entertainment, and the popularity of home theaters, etc., audience viewing habits have changed, leading to a reduction in investment in global film production, and the overall occupancy rate of theaters is not ideal. Under this macroeconomic situation, Hong Kong cinemas naturally face operational challenges. Currently, all 18 districts of Hong Kong have cinemas, with a total of 54, up from 48 10 years ago (2016), and close to 61 before the pandemic (2019). Some theaters that have closed down have also been taken over by new operators.

He mentioned that the Hong Kong government has always actively supported the development of Hong Kong films. Since 2007, the Hong Kong Government has injected more than HK$2.9 billion into the fund. By the end of June 2026, the Fund had approved about 500 projects involving more than HK$1.5 billion, including a total investment of HK$600 million to finance or fund more than 120 films. Using more than 120 new directors and producers, these films have nurtured fresh blood in the industry. They have also received more than 370 nominations at local and overseas film awards ceremonies and film festivals, and won more than 290 awards. Among them, some of these films are even better at the box office, such as “Toxic Talk”, which was the first local film to have accumulated over 100 million box office sales, and the Hong Kong-produced animated film “The World”, which set the highest grossing box office in Hong Kong film history.

To attract viewers to watch movies in theaters and expand the audience, the Fund will fund the Hong Kong Theatre Association to host Hong Kong Cinema Day every year between April and May and “10.1 Watch Good Movies at Half Price” on National Day starting in 2023. According to the data, the number of moviegoers on the two events increased by an average of about four times compared to weekdays, and box office revenue also increased by about three times compared to weekdays, proving that the measures not only encouraged the public to watch movies, but also benefited cinemas. At the same time, the Hong Kong Cinemas Chamber of Commerce and Cinemas are also seizing the opportunity to launch joint promotions with surrounding restaurants and stores to allow the public to relive the three steps of “walking, eating, and watching a movie” to drive economic activity in the surrounding area. Although the current preferential measures have been effective in attracting audiences, this does not mean that directly increasing the number of activities can continue to improve effectiveness. The government still needs to evaluate various aspects, including the government's financial burden and the marginal effects of the measures. We will discuss these topics with the industry.

Liu Zhen said that in order for cinemas to have more revenue sources, the Hong Kong Cultural and Creative Department is also following up on the opinions of the Hong Kong Cinema Chamber of Commerce and coordinating communication between the industry and relevant government departments (including the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Hong Kong Fire Services Department, Hong Kong Buildings Department, etc.) to simplify the application process for cinemas to be used as live performances. It is expected to be implemented in the third quarter of this year.

In fact, attracting viewers back requires a multi-pronged approach. In recent years, the Hong Kong Government has also actively developed movie-related tourist hotspots to increase public and tourist interest in Hong Kong films, as well as the long-term exposure of Hong Kong films outside of theaters. Among them, in May 2025 and January 2026, the Cultural and Creative Department held two film scene exhibitions, “Journey of Light and Shadow at the Kowloon Walled City” and “Yau Ma Tei Police Station Light and Shadow Tour”, respectively, to promote the collaborative development of the film industry and tourism industry. Both exhibitions had an ideal response, and the Cultural and Creative Department will continue to actively promote different cultural tourism integration measures.

The Hong Kong Government is committed to expanding overseas markets for Hong Kong films. The fund has launched a number of programs to promote co-productions, including the Asian Cultural Exchange Film Production Funding Scheme, the Eurasian Cultural Exchange Film Production Funding Scheme, the Mainland Film Market Development Funding Scheme, and the Funding Scheme for Film Production Promoting Chinese Culture.

In addition, the fund launched key overseas film festival promotion programs, and funded the Hong Kong Overseas Economic and Trade Office to cooperate with local film agencies and film festivals, lead industry delegations to participate in famous mainland and overseas film festivals/film festivals, and fund Hong Kong film screenings to promote emerging talents and promote communication and commercial cooperation with overseas filmmakers.

He added that in the Mainland market, the Mainland's recent implementation of “branch distribution” to allow branch, sub-regional and round screenings without uniform screening across the country is a brand-new model and opportunity. The Hong Kong Cultural and Creative Department will continue to encourage the industry to actively make good use of the various relaxation measures of the “Mainland and Hong Kong Arrangement on Establishing Closer Economic and Trade Relations”, so that Hong Kong and the Mainland's film industry complement each other's advantages and develop together.

The film market is constantly changing, and the fund's support measures need to keep pace with the times. The Hong Kong Culture, Sports and Tourism Board will actively maintain close communication with the film industry and provide timely funding and other support to the industry in response to the needs of the industry, such as strengthening on-site filming assistance and increasing the exposure of Hong Kong films, etc., to continue to promote the long-term development of the film industry.