Anselm Chan’s The Last Dance has broken multiple records, rejuvenating the Hong Kong box office after a lacklustre six months since the release of blockbuster Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In.
Just nine days after its opening on November 9, the Hong Kong drama has grossed almost $7.7m (HK$60m) at the local box office so far.
This includes $1.1m (HK$8.6m) – or $1.2m (HK$9.18m) inclusive of Macau – on November 16 alone, surpassing 2016’s Cold War 2 ($970,000 / HK$7.56m) to take the biggest single-day box office for a Hong Kong and Chinese-language film.
The data is provided by Hong Kong Box Office, a subsidiary of the Hong Kong Motion Picture Industry Association (MPIA) and the Hong Kong Theatres Association.
Given the fast speed with which it has achieved such significant milestones, the film is on course to break further box office records. It is expected to become the third Hong Kong film to reach the HK$100m benchmark, following 2023’s A Guilty Conscience and Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In from earlier this year.
The cast is headlined by two top comedic actors: Michael Hui, a veteran director-actor who made his mark in the 1970s and was recently seen in Chung Mong-Hong’s Godspeed and Philip Yung’s Where The Wind Blows, and Dayo Wong who is now one of Hong Kong’s most bankable actors following the massive success of A Guilty Conscience and Table For Six.
The film deals with heavy subject matter centred on Hong Kong’s traditional funeral industry, revolving around an elderly Taoist priest, his family and his new business partner, a wedding planner-turned-funeral planner. Co-stars include Michelle Wai and Tommy Chu.
First unveiled by Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) at Hong Kong Filmart in March, it marks the third feature by emerging director Chan whose credits include romantic comedies Ready Or Knot and its sequel Ready Or Rot, both starring Wai.
The film is backed by EMP, Alibaba Pictures and AMTD. It had its world premiere at the Hawaii International Film Festival before heading back to Asia as an opening film of the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival and screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Outside Hong Kong, the film has scored well in Malaysia, opening top at the local box office with takings of $670,000 (RM3m). It opened on November 14 through Lotus Five Star AV.
The Hong Kong box office dropped 17% year-on-year to $81.9m (HK$640m) in the first half of 2024 despite the phenomenal success of Twilight Of the Warriors: Walled In, which is the city’s Oscar submission.
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