Historical science fiction action film Back to the Past, starring actors Louis Koo Tin-lok and Raymond Lam Fung, has broken the opening-day record for a Chinese film despite a gloomy box office last year.
Hong Kong’s box office sank to a 14-year low of HK$1.13 billion (US$145.2 million) in 2025 from a year earlier amid a wave of cinema shutdowns, according to data compiled by industry body Hong Kong Box Office Limited on Friday.
Last year’s best performing films – both locally produced and from abroad – were animation movies.
But Back to the Past grossed HK$10.91 million on its debut on Wednesday, a record for the first day performance of local or Chinese films, and No 2 on the all-time list behind Avengers: Endgame shown in 2019, which recorded HK$20.87 million on its opening.
“As film is still being screened, we hope the results will reach a new high,” the box office company said.
The special effects-driven action adventure is based on a TVB drama series in 2001, A Step into the Past, that featured roughly the same cast including Koo and actresses, such as Jessica Hester Hsuan and Sonija Kwok Sin-nei.
The film and television drama are based on Huang Yi’s novel, but the movie continues where the TV adaptation left off about 20 years ago.
