(Variety) Theatrical box office in Hong Kong dropped for the second year in a row. But unlike 2016, when local films enjoyed some successes, 2017 was weak for Hong Kong movies.
Data from Hong Kong Box Office Ltd. showed gross box office of $237 million (HK$1.85 billion) across the territory, which is a Special Administrative region of China. That compared with $251 million (HK$1.95 billion) in 2016, and amounted to a year-on-year decline of 4.8%. That stands in contrast to the theatrical business in mainland China, which last year grew by 13.5%.
The total number of films released dropped 5% from 349 to 331 in 2017. Within that total, the number of Hong Kong-qualifying productions was down 15% from 62 to 53.
The top local film was edgy comedy “Love Off the Cuff” with a gross of $3.88 million (HK$30.2 million,) ahead of thriller “Shock Wave” with $3.27 million (HK$25.4 million,) and mega-budget mainland Chinese co-production “Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back,” with $3.04 million (HK$23.6 million).
Theatrical market share for local films dropped to 13% according to HKBO. And none scored enough to get a Chinese-language title into the top ten. The leading film chart instead was a Hollywood lockout.
The top film of last year in Hong Kong was Disney’s “Beauty & The Beast,” with a strong $8.65 million (HK$67.2 million,) ahead of “Spider-Man: Homecoming“ with $8.45 million (HK$65.8 million,) and “Thor: Ragnarok” on $6.62 million (HK$51.5 million). “Logan” placed tenth with $4.95 million (HK$38.5 million).
HKBO is a joint venture between Hong Kong Theatres Association and the Hong Kong Motion Picture Industry Association.
Source: Variety by Patrick Frater