Hong Kong Theatre Association: Hong Kong theatres have seen significant improvements in business this year compared to last year.

Chairman of the Hong Kong Theatre Association, Yuan Yanwen, stated that as of mid-April, the box office for Hong Kong theatres has been good this year, with a year-on-year increase of about 40%. This includes the cumulative box office of "Seeking Qin" nearing 100 million Hong Kong dollars, "Night King" breaking 100 million Hong Kong dollars and expected to continue rising after an extended version is released. Additionally, the word of mouth and resilience of "Goodbye UFO" and "We Are Not What We Are" are good, and Western films are also performing well. He bluntly stated that "business is much better than last year" and there are still many good movies to choose from in the future. He believes that as long as there are good movies, audiences will naturally go to the theatres to enjoy them. Yuan Yanwen believes that the industry is in a transitional period, with changes in consumer tastes and the rise of streaming platforms. The industry is working hard and seeing results, and will attract different age groups to the theatres with concerts and talk shows in order to contribute to the box office revenue. He remains optimistic about the future and is committed to his position. Regarding the decrease in the number of theatres from 63 in 2024 to 53 last year, with 52 remaining this year, Yuan Yanwen admitted that theatres "could not survive" last year, let alone make a profit. Currently, they can barely operate at a break-even level, and while they may not return to pre-pandemic levels, they can maintain basic daily expenses with a small profit or a balanced budget. He believes that the current number of theatres is relatively stable, and although the film and theatre market has been tough in recent years, closures are inevitable, but he believes that the number can be maintained at around 50 in the future. He mentioned that before the pandemic, Marvel movies may have accounted for a quarter or a fifth of the entire box office in Hong Kong, but currently Marvel's box office performance is not as strong as before, and there are fewer releases. Theatres need to showcase different types of content to attract more audiences.