Could box-office record breaker ‘The Last Dance’ signal a new dawn for Hong Kong cinema?
Hong Kong Free Press
For years, Alison Chan had not seen a Hong Kong film more than once in the cinema, let alone twice in one day.
A 27-year-old teacher, Chan enjoys going to the cinema to relax. When she went alone on a Saturday morning in November to watch The Last Dance – a melodrama set amid Taoist funeral rituals in Hong Kong – she did not expect the movie to appeal to so many of her emotions.
“I started to weep when a mother [in the movie] tried so hard to preserve the body of her deceased son… It’s all about how people chase after hope even when it’s hopeless,” Chan told HKFP in Cantonese. “I was overwhelmed when I walked out of the cinema but felt relieved at the same time.” Chan was so impressed that she went back to watch it again that night with her boyfriend.
The third production of Hong Kong script writer and director Anselm Chan, The Last Dance took the city by storm after its November 9 release, breaking box office records and sparking discussion on and offline. In two months it took HK$158 million at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing domestic film ever, and has played to an audience of over 2.1 million – another record for a Hong Kong movie.
The film’s success extends beyond Kong Kong. In Taiwan, it has made around HK$4.8 million since its mid-November release and ranked 10th at the island’s box office in January. In mainland China, it has grossed HK$210 million at the box office to date – an above-average achievement for a melodrama produced completely by a local crew.
Indeed, it has proven such a hit that producers announced an extended version would soon be released in Hong Kong.
Since the curtains closed on Hong Kong cinema’s golden era in the early 1990s, the industry has been struggling. Challenges mounted further in recent years, led by the Covid-19 pandemic, the retreat of Chinese funding, and the city’s changing political landscape.
So, where – in this winter of the Hong Kong film industry – does The Last Dance fit in?
Like the movie or not, Hong Kong film critic Bono Lee said it had become a cultural sensation, one that prompted discussion, even among people who do not enjoy cinema.
“As long as I recall, the last movie that reached this level of phenomenon in Hong Kong was probably Titanic,” Lee told HKFP in Cantonese. And while the two films had nothing in common in terms of scripts and production, Lee said they succeeded in the same way: capturing the audience’s underlying emotions of the moment.
Their own personal ‘hell‘
The Last Dance follows a washed-up wedding planner, played by cultural icon Dayo Wong, as he pivots to offering funeral services during a pandemic, and his encounter with veteran comedian Michael Hui as a Taoist priest.
Dealing with themes love and death, the film explores the struggles of ordinary Hongkongers and the emotional toll that grief takes.
While the casting of the stand-up comedian Wong ensured that people were talking about The Last Dance even before its release, Lee said that its subject matter had ensured those conversations continued as it echoed the emotions of many Hongkongers.
“In 1997, Titanic was so popular in Hong Kong because it captured people’s feelings at the time – as the city was about to be handed over [from British to Chinese rule] and the economy was slowing down, People were scared the city was going to sink,” Lee said.
“After the 2019 social movement followed by the pandemic, Hongkongers go into the cinema with mixed feelings, and [The Last Dance] captured that zeitgeist – it’s about how people find a way out of their unresolved emotions,“ Lee said. “The film delivered a message that everyone has their own hell to deal with, and that’s particularly true for Hongkongers at the moment.”
“It’s not an art house work, nor did it do a great job in storytelling – but this is a film that Hong Kong really needs right now, one that provides emotional value,” Lee continued. “That’s a significant change in Hong Kong… many people are not pursuing profound knowledge, but rather, a healing and recovery of emotion.”
“Why is emotional value so necessary? Because there is trauma.”
Film critic Longtin Sum, who has been studying Hong Kong cinema since the 1980s, said that while he did not think highly the storytelling or the film grammar in The Last Dance, he, too, believed it had given audiences a much-needed outlet.
“This film successfully allows people to release their emotions. We need an emotional outlet, and audiences need someone to tell them it’s okay to express their feelings. Whether it’s binge-watching Korean dramas, ‘lying flat,’ or following celebrities – these endless forms of emotional release are all responses to Hong Kong’s recent situation,” Sum said in Cantonese.
“The film found a harmless way to tell a story, a quite ordinary or even conservative one, that everyone can see themselves in,” Sum added.
Lee said The Last Dance had succeeded in presenting human truths in an entertaining and mainstream way.
“It’s about treating offspring more openly, not being restrained by tradition, and recognising the value of life – most viewers would agree on those simple universal values,” Lee said. “And the film is so smart to conclude with a comedic speech delivered by Dayo Wong after showcasing heavy stories. It turns out to be a feel-good movie.”
Looking back to the director’s earlier work, Sum said The Last Dance showed how far he had progressed. “The film actually carries a political metaphor: Hong Kong itself is a hell, but the way it was handled turned out to be very subtle.”
Chiu, a business consultant and a movie fan, told HKFP that his first thought after watching The Last Dance was that the film is particularly suitable for Chinese audiences as it explores family relations.
“Everyone can find themselves in it,” Chiu said in Cantonese.
A sophisticated, well-constructed script
Shu Kei, a film critic, director, and the former dean of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, offered a different perspective. He said The Last Dance had found mainstream success largely because of its “well-constructed script.”
“If you break down the movie, scene by scene, [you can see] how each scene quickly builds characters, developing conflict and dramatic effects – and then you know the writer knows how to write a script,” Shu said in Cantonese.
“Many films in recent years have sought to appeal to the depressed feelings of our society – why were they not as popular? Because they did not tell a good enough story,” Shu added.
Most characters in the film are over 40, Shu said, and the emotions it seeks to convey are complex, prompting the audience to reflect on their experiences with death and attending funerals. These rituals, often taken for granted in the Chinese community, can be performed without much consideration.
“To think about the deeper meaning behind things we take for granted – that is sophistication,” Shu said, adding that sophistication was “a rare quality” in Hong Kong films.
A flash in the pan or a lasting trend?
Locally produced films in Hong Kong saw a steady decline in both numbers of works and box office revenue from 1993.
The industry, which once prided itself on being “made in Hong Kong”, began shifting its focus to the mainland Chinese market in the early 2000s, with an increasing emphasis on co-productions.
Since 2018, stronger censorship from Chinese authorities, along with the pandemic-related restrictions that followed two years later, has significantly slowed the trend of co-production.
When Hong Kong cinemas reopened after lengthy Covid closures in 2022, they ushered in a series of local productions directed by a new generation of directors. Those films were enthusiastically welcomed by an audience who again found their love for local narratives and who had nowhere to go under travel restrictions.
The Sparring Partner, a bloody courtroom thriller released in October 2022, grossed over HK$40 million, breaking the box office record for Hong Kong Category III films, suitable for audiences over the age of 18. A Table for Six, a comedy also starring Dayo Wong, took over HK$77 million at the box office by the end of 2022.
In early 2023, A Guilty Conscience, a crime comedy once again featuring Dayo Wong, became the highest-grossing local film at the time, earning around HK$114 million at the box office. For comparison, Hong Kong films grossed HK$255 million in total at local cinemas in 2019.
There had also been a shift in the preferred genre of Hong Kong cinema – with fewer action films and more melodramas exploring social issues.
However, the trend did not last into 2024, as residents reverted to outbound travel. The annual box office revenue last year declined by 5.9 per cent compared to that of 2023, and at least seven cinemas shut down.
As to whether the success of The Last Dance was a flash in the pan implied a positive change of course for Hong Kong’s film industry, film critic Sum said it was too early to tell.
“When Infernal Affairs was released [in 2002], a reporter asked me if Hong Kong cinema would be saved. I replied that maybe it’s just one hit wonder. As it turns out, Hong Kong cinema continued its decline,” Sum said.
“Hong Kong cinema has just started to pay attention to social issues – which is a precious trend that should be carried on,” Sum added.
Lee, though, was more hopeful that the new wave of local productions would last.
“The model of co-production [with China] has reached a dead end because too many factors [when doing co-production] need to be calculated and the censorship is too restrictive,” Lee said. “[Hong Kong] should produce its own films with its own characteristics and affordable budgets, and if you want to circulate the films in mainland China, apply for that after production.”
Unlike co-productions, which must submit information about the story and crew to obtain approval from Chinese authorities before filming begins, Hong Kong-produced films, such as The Last Dance, can seek screening approval only after the movie has been made.
The version of The Last Dance seen by audiences in mainland China was slightly altered from the one screened in Hong Kong cinemas, with a scene linked to same-sex love and a sex scene deleted, according to Lee.
For film critic Shu, the popularity of The Last Dance was at its essence as simple as the nature of cinema: it crafted a good story.
“The biggest lesson is that everyone should focus on making good films. Whether you’re a producer or a creator, put more effort into writing a good script and seriously making movies,” Shu said. He said he hoped that film companies would do more to to support creators.
“Investing in films is always risky. The Last Dance is no less risky – the presence of Dayo Wong in the cast provides some assurance, but since it’s not a co-production, the mainland China market remains unpredictable,” Shu said.
“Nonetheless, if a film company greenlights a project, it should fully support the creators. Audiences can see all this effort and dedication.”
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-title {
font-size: 1.2em;
}
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .entry-meta {
display: flex;
flex-wrap: wrap;
align-items: center;
margin-top: 0.5em;
}
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .entry-meta {
font-size: 0.8em;
}
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles article .avatar {
height: 25px;
width: 25px;
}
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .post-thumbnail{
margin: 0;
margin-bottom: 0.25em;
}
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .post-thumbnail img {
height: auto;
width: 100%;
}
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles .post-thumbnail figcaption {
margin-bottom: 0.5em;
}
.wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles p {
margin: 0.5em 0;
}
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.