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South China Morning Post
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hotpot over hot dogs? Hong Kong cinemas need new ideas to survive
A recent trend in Hong Kong is causing concern. Cinemas and restaurants that have operated here for years are now closing down for good. Advertisement Earlier this month, cinema chain operator Golden Harvest shut its venue at the MegaBox shopping centre, the fifth cinema it has closed down since April 2024. That came just days after it shut the Grand Ocean Cinema in Tsim Sha Tsui, which had been in business for 56 years. Other cinemas shutting up shop this year include the Newport Theatre in Mong Kok and the Grand Kornhill Cinema in Quarry Bay. That is five cinemas closing this year – including the Golden Harvest Whampoa cinema in Hung Hom – and we are barely halfway through the year. According to the Hong Kong Theatres Association, there were only 51 cinemas operating in the city as of May, compared with 112 venues in 1994. Much has changed since the 1990s, when I went to the movies almost every week. The anticipation of catching the next blockbuster and not needing to wait months before it came out on video made choosing to go to the movies easy. With technological advances and the rise of streaming platforms , audiences no longer need to work around screening schedules. They can watch films on demand – at home or anywhere else – on any number of devices. The cinema industry has struggled with people pirating films for years, but now it has been hit hard with a totally new kind of consumer behaviour. Movie-goers take a wefie before watching a film at Golden Harvest MegaBox in Kowloon Bay, on the cinema's final day of operation on June 9. Photo: May Tse The challenge of shrinking audiences is not unique to Hong Kong. It's not new either. Looking back a decade, Hong Kong had 47 cinemas in 2015 and 53 two years later.
South China Morning Post
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Patrons bid farewell as Hong Kong's Newport Theatre closes down after 20 years
Patrons are bidding farewell to Hong Kong's Newport Theatre as it prepares to close its doors after 20 years in business, with only one of the 12 screenings for the cinema's last day having sold more than half of its tickets by the afternoon. Advertisement Some patrons said on Monday that they planned to watch two films back-to-back to support the venue's operator, as the cinema in Mong Kok became the latest to shut down amid a wave of closures. 'It is a place full of collective memories for Hongkongers. It is hard to let it go,' said Sophia Au, a teacher in her forties and a neighbourhood resident. She watched Peg O' My Heart, a recent thriller directed by Nick Cheung Ka-fai, at 11.20am, before attending a screening of Ne Zha 2 with her mother. 'In those old days with no mobile phones, people were happy to go to theatres to watch a movie. Now, we have so many other entertainment options and distractions, plus a bad economy. I feel like it is inevitable,' Au said. Advertisement She described Newport Theatre as a 'down-to-earth' cinema, noting that it was relatively cheaper compared to other venues, with tickets priced at around HK$80 (US$10.2), while the staff there were 'friendly and helpful'.
