The historical sci-fi action film 'Back to the Past,' starring Louis Koo and Raymond Lam, earned HK$10.91 million on its opening day, setting a record for Chinese films in Hong Kong. This follows a dismal 2025 for the local box office, which fell to a 14-year low. The film ranks second overall, behind only 2019's 'Avengers: Endgame'.
The historical science fiction action film 'Back to the Past,' starring actors Louis Koo Tin-lok and Raymond Lam Fung, broke the opening-day record for a Chinese film in Hong Kong despite a gloomy box office in 2025. It grossed HK$10.91 million on its debut Wednesday, the highest first-day performance for local or Chinese films and number two on the all-time list behind 'Avengers: Endgame,' which recorded HK$20.9 million in 2019.
Local takings sank to a 14-year low of HK$1.13 billion (US$145.2 million) in 2025, down from the previous year amid a wave of cinema shutdowns, according to data from industry body Hong Kong Box Office Limited released on Friday. Last year's top performers, both local and foreign, were animated movies.
"As the 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 the 2001 TVB drama series 'A Step into the Past,' which featured a similar cast including Koo and actresses such as Jessica Hester Hsuan and Sonija Kwok Sin-nei. The film and television drama are adapted from Huang Yi's novel, but the movie picks up where the TV adaptation left off about 20 years ago, set in the Qin dynasty.
This success signals a potential boost for Hong Kong's entertainment sector after a challenging period.
