How Back to the Past is fuelling nostalgia for 2000s Hong Kong

The 2000s are experiencing a nostalgia-driven renaissance in Hong Kong, spearheaded by the record-breaking time-travel action fantasy, Back to the Past.

A big-screen sequel to the popular 2001 TVB drama A Step into the Past, the film has become a box office sensation since its release on December 31, 2025.

Co-directed by Ng Yuen-fai and Jack Lai Chun-lung and starring original lead Louis Koo Tin-lok, the blockbuster – which picks up where the TV series left off – is pure fan service wrapped around the grit and glamour of classic Hong Kong cinema.

The movie grossed HK$10.9 million (US$1.4 million) on its opening day, breaking the city’s first-day performance record for a local or Chinese-language film. The record-breaking success continued, with the film accumulating HK$45.4 million across cinemas in Hong Kong and Macau by the end of its first week.

Its local box office gross passed the HK$60 million mark on January 10, and ticket sales are expected to keep climbing in the coming weeks – with one eye on challenging the title of 2024 film The Last Dance as the highest-grossing domestic release in Hong Kong cinema history.