Hong Kong-based journalist Mathew Scott reports on the cinema ticket pricing schemes of Hong Kong, the key hub of the Asian film industry, to shed light on the recent ticket price discourse in Korea.

※ The contributions of external writers may differ from the opinions of KoBiz & KOFIC, and they do not represent the official views of KOFIC. 

South Korea's ongoing conversation about domestic ticket pricing spilled into the global arena at this year's 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF),ﾠan event where, traditionally, the film world arrives armed with questions about what's hot (and what's not) in the local industry as well as about the issues that have had local tongues wagging.

During the many and varied seminars that helped form a packed schedule across both BIFF and the concurrent Asian Contents & Film Market, as well as in the cafes and restaurants where festival guests gather, it was an issue that was raised time and again.

2024 Asian Contents & Film Market

Much of the talk was driven by recent local media reports of disgruntled film fans, and industry heavyweights including acclaimed actor Choi Min-sik, who went on TV in August to call for a price cut.

But the conversations were not going all the one way. Guests to BIFF were also able to shed light on their own experiences, and how other markets across Asia are dealing with ticketing issues at a time where box office receipts are mostly still struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels.

Felix Tsang was at BIFF primarily in his role as sales and acquisitions manager for the Hong Kong-based Golden Scene Co. Ltd, handling world sales for the Oliver Chan-directed domestic drama Montages of a Modern Motherhood, which was in the running for the festival's main New Currents awards. Back home, Tsang is also the chief operations officer of Golden Scene Cinema and so is able to shed light on the ticketing situation in a market that was at one stage the most commercially viable in the region.

Like everywhere, times have changed in Hong Kong. Box office was down 17 per cent in the first half of the year (to US$81.9m), according to industry reports. That's despite the city this year screening its biggest-ever domestic box office hit, in the Soi Cheang-director actioner Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, which took in US$13.5 million.

Golden Scene Cinema. Source: Golden Scene / Screen Daily

 "Summer was tough," says Tsang. "We actually saw almost a 50 per cent decrease from August to September in terms of the whole box office in Hong Kong.  August was HK$111 million [US$14.2 million] but in September it was only HK$59 million [US$7.6 million]. Just in general, it's been a pretty slow year in terms of the Hollywood titles and in terms of Hong Kong titles and I think that just speaks to the trend in general that people are spending less money. There's less disposable income and that hits ticket sales, too.“

According to the Hong Kong Theatre Association, which represents cinema owners, the city currently boasts 282 screens overall, with 59 situated on Hong Kong Island, 125 across the harbour in Kowloon, and 98 out of town, spread out across the New Territories which stretch towards mainland China. That accounts for 41,898 seats in total, serving a city of 7.4 million people.

The HKTA has 58 members, from the likes of the multiplex-driven Emperor Group chain (12 locations) and the Edko Films Ltd-run Broadway Circuit (13 locations) to a few smaller operators such as Golden Scene, which has one location and four screens.

Ticket prices vary, as Tsang explains, most often with prices reflecting the cinema's location in a city with some of the highest retail rents on the planet. Hence a ticket for a regular screening at the Pacific Place mall - situated in the heart of Hong Kong's business district - comes at HK$130 (US$16.7). Travel out to Tin Shui Wai, about 40km from the centre of town, to watch the same film and it will set you back HK$80 (US$10.3).

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, directed by Soi Cheang

So, on average, Hongkongers stump up around HK$100 (US$13) for a seat. In comparison, the average ticket price in Korea comes in at around KRW15,000 (US$11). Also, as a comparison to place things further in context, Hong Kong's average monthly income is currently around HK$36,583.33 (US$4,708.82) a month, while Korea's is KRW3,500,000 per month (US$2,520). And on the old faithful global "Big Mac Index", Hongkongers spend US$3.01 for their burger fix, while Koreans pay US$3.99.

 "We haven't increased the ticket price since we opened more than three years ago," says Tsang. "Just because we want to keep it sort of fair to the consumers. It's just, in general, it's a bad economy and my general take on it is that people's behavioral patterns are still sort of evolving post-COVID.“

But there's no escaping the fact that numbers have dwindled, with more readily available (and cheaper) "at home" entertainment another factor shared by markets across Asia. This is reflected in a report into internet addiction released last week by the United States-based analysts ZeroBounce, which showed Hongkongers averaged 8.31 hours per week streaming TV shows, while Koreans spent 7.38 hours doing the same.

Montages of a Modern Motherhood, directed by Oliver Siu Kuen Chan. World Sales by Golden Scene Co. Ltd.

Across the border and into mainland China, there are some familiarities when it comes to the market and some real differences. Now the world's second-largest cinema market, mainland China saw a box office drop of about half over summer, year on year (from US$2.89 billion to US$1.5 billion)ﾠ- but cinemas are still being built. Upwards of 86,000 cinema screens now service its 1.4 billion people - and the average ticket price (in 2023) was RMB42.3 (US$6).

And therein lies an increasing problem for Hong Kong cinema operators. A post-pandemic social phenomenon is the waves of Hongkongers who are now travelling north and across the border each weekend, and on public holidays, to make use of cheaper entertainment found there. Across the recent "Golden Week" holiday (October 1-7), an estimated 1.78 million cross-border trips were made into mainland China from Hong Kong.

"If you watch a movie in China it's probably half of what you pay in Hong Kong," says Tsang. "If I was a consumer and wanted to watch a movie then why not go to China to spend a weekend watching films. I think it just goes down to the consumers' choice right now and that's making it tough for everyone."

About the writer

Mathew Scott is a freelance writer and creative consultant who has covered the Asian film industry for international trade and mainstream platforms for the past 25 years. Each year in April, Mathew also co-ordinates and hosts the Far East Film Festival’s Campus program (https://www.fareastfilm.com/eng/campus/) for aspiring film professionals in Udine, Italy.