Louis Koo's nostalgia-fueled 'Back to the Past' breaks HK box office records

Renowned actor and filmmaker Louis Koo's "Back to the Past," a film fueled by 25 years of nostalgia, has sparked a cinema frenzy in Hong Kong, breaking opening records in the region.

Louis Koo, as Hong Siu-long, in a still from "Back to the Past." [Photo courtesy of One Cool Film Production]

Directors Ng Yuen-fai and Jack Lai's "Back to the Past" is a movie sequel to Hong Kong broadcaster TVB's classic 2001 historical sci-fi series "A Step into the Past." Many of the original cast members, including Louis Koo, Raymond Lam, Jessica Hsuan, Sonija Kwok and Joyce Tang, have reprised their iconic roles, with Koo also serving as a producer. Packed with familiar faces and instantly recognizable costumes, the movie transports longtime viewers right back to the golden era of TVB dramas.

However, Louis Koo has emphasized that this is not a remake of the TV series, but rather a continuation of the classic. Koo noted that he recently discovered many viewers have been specifically rewatching the original show in preparation for the film. He reflected with emotion that the film's production spanned over two decades, and considered it "magical" that it has received so much support. 

Following its release on Dec. 31, 2025, it dominated the Hong Kong film market, setting multiple box office records in the region and neighboring Macao. It became the film with the most opening-day shows at 1,481 screenings and achieved the highest opening-day box office in Hong Kong with HK$11.3 million (about US$1.45 million), breaking the previous record held by "The Last Dance," which had an box office of HK$7.46 million on its opening day in 2024.

By Sunday, the box office total for the film in Hong Kong and Macao reached more than HK$40 million. Meanwhile, it had earned 171 million yuan (about US$24.5 million) in the Chinese mainland film market by the same day, according to ticketing platform and box office tracker Maoyan.

For the mainland market, Maoyan analyst Lai Li noted that the film's audience skews older, with over 35% aged 40 and above, and more than 57% male. It dominated in first-tier cities and southern China, with nearly 30% of its audience in Guangdong province alone, demonstrating the IP's strong appeal among older viewers and in regions fond of Hong Kong cinema.

Cast and crew pose with the audience at a screening event in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, Dec. 31, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Wishart Media]

Optimistic about the film's performance, Koo stated that the production team had done its utmost and that box office results would be left to audience support. He further appealed to viewers to watch the film in theaters, emphasizing that the film market needs "sustained rescue," not reliance on any single film.

The film's journey to the big screen was arduous. Koo's early efforts to adapt the novel in the 2010s were eventually shelved due to funding and script issues. After founding One Cool Film Production in 2013, he restarted the project. It was officially announced in 2017 as a co-production with Huace Pictures, which acquired the rights to the novel. Filming in 2019 was followed by a six-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic and post-production issues, turning the movie into something of an "urban legend" in the industry. The film's long-delayed arrival finally brings closure to fans.

To live up to the original series, Koo invested heavily, constructing massive sets to recreate the grandeur of ancient China and reportedly spending around HK$300 million, exhausting his funds. Film tycoon Charles Heung, admiring Koo's devotion to Hong Kong cinema, revealed he immediately invested HK$20 million of his own money when asked for help.

A poster for "Back to the Past." [Image courtesy of One Cool Film Production]

Based on Hong Kong martial arts novelist Huang Yi's novel, the original 40-episode series follows police officer Hong Siu-long, who travels back in time to the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), befriending and mentoring the future emperor Qin Shi Huang, blending history, romance and sci-fi. A cultural phenomenon and Koo's final TV project, it maintains an 8.6/10 rating on China's major review aggregation site Douban and is widely regarded as a TVB classic.

The movie sequel is set nearly two decades after the events of the original series in the unified Qin dynasty (221-207 B.C.). When the emperor is ambushed by mysterious time travelers armed with modern weapons, he seeks the help of his retired mentor, Hong, who is living in seclusion with his family. Their reunion sparks a clash between old and new time travelers, pitting ancient weapons against modern firearms, putting their master-disciple bond and the empire's fate to the ultimate test.

Reuniting with cast members on promotional tours of Hong Kong and several mainland cities, Koo said that getting everyone together again was truly a joy, as he admitted old memories were stirred up. "It brought back a lot of memories every day as I was promoting and constantly reviewing the film's clips and promotional materials for improvements," he said.