Study Buddy (Challenger): ‘The Last Dance’ breaks Hong Kong records, earning HK$122 million at box office
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Dayo Wong Tze-wah (left) and Michelle Wai in a still from “The Last Dance”. Photo: Emperor Motion PicturesContent provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below
[1] Actor and comedian Dayo Wong Tze-wah’s drama, The Last Dance, has broken box office records as the highest-grossing Chinese-language film ever in Hong Kong. Featuring Wong, veteran actor Michael Hui Koon-man and actress Michelle Wai, it had raked in more than HK$122 million as of December, the film’s distributor said. The figure beat the previous record holder, 2023 court drama A Guilty Conscience, which grossed HK$121.79 million locally and also starred Wong.
[2] Directed and written by Anselm Chan Mou-yin, The Last Dance is a drama set around Hong Kong’s funeral trade and family traditions. It had the highest opening day for any Hong Kong film when it debuted on November 9. It made history again on November 16 with box office earnings of HK$9.18 million, the most ever on a single day for a Chinese-language film. More than 120,000 people watched the film in cinemas that day.
[3] The Last Dance was the second Hong Kong film to cross the HK$100 million mark this year, with the other commercial success being Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, which hit the city’s cinemas in May. Crucindo Hung Cho-sing, chairman of the Federation of Motion Film Producers of Hong Kong, said he expected box office sales of The Last Dance to eventually reach HK$150 million, given the momentum. “The script, director and cast have all done a great job, and the subject matter is unique, one that resonates well in Hong Kong and Guangdong,” he said, referring to the film’s climactic funeral ritual.
[4] Vera Yuen Wing-han, a lecturer of economics at the University of Hong Kong, said an effective publicity push ahead of the wide release also contributed to the success of The Last Dance, noting that many local films continued to struggle to find audiences. Tenky Tin Kai-man, a spokesman for the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, also observed that they were becoming increasingly selective and only paying for movies that had garnered hype.
[5] The popularity of The Last Dance and Twilight of the Warriors also defied the conventional wisdom that high-budget blockbusters would only do well if they were released during key holiday periods. But Tin said the industry should not think it could forgo the fundamentals of good filmmaking. “After all, they didn’t make over HK$100 million by deception or luck. They do have quality,” Tin said.
[6] The Last Dance is an industry favourite to represent Hong Kong in the 2026 Oscars. The film has already got off to a strong start for the awards season. Chan was crowned best director at the 61st Asia Pacific Film Festival ceremony in December, while Wai won best leading actress.
Source: South China Morning Post, December 7
Questions
1. Which of the following information about the film is not provided in paragraph 1?
A. the lead actor
B. the storyline
C. the title
D. the language of the dialogue
2. According to paragraph 2, what aspect of Hong Kong culture does the film explore?
3. Why does the writer use the phrase “made history again” in paragraph 2?
4. Find a word in paragraph 3 that refers to the most “powerful and emotional part” of a story.
5. In paragraph 3, Hung believes The Last Dance will reach HK$150 million because of …
A. the global economic boom.
B. its strong word of mouth.
C. its star-studded cast.
D. its unconventional topic.
6. According to paragraph 4, what challenges do many local directors face and why?
7. Based on your understanding of paragraph 4, how did the effective publicity campaign affect the film’s performance?
8. What is the typical strategy for releasing high-budget blockbusters according to paragraph 5, and why?
9. What do the following underlined words refer to?
(i) Paragraph 1: “… it had raked in more than HK$122 million as of December…”
(ii) Paragraph 4: “… also observed that they were becoming increasingly selective …”
(iii) Paragraph 5: “After all, they didn’t make over HK$100 million by deception or luck …”
Answers
1. B
2. the funeral trade and local family traditions
3. to emphasise the film’s success and its record-breaking opening day, followed by another box office milestone (accept all similar answers)
4. climactic
5. D
6. Many local directors struggle to produce films that attract audiences because moviegoers are becoming more selective and only pay for movies that generate hype.
7. It helped generate buzz ahead of the film’s release and attract a large audience. (accept all similar answers)
8. The typical strategy is to release high-budget blockbusters during key holiday periods because these periods often attract larger audiences and generate higher box office revenue. (accept all similar answers)
9. (i) The Last Dance/ the film; (ii) audiences; (iii) the people who produced The Last Dance