“It Shows Young People Today Have Lost All Patience” Louis Koo On The Popularity Of Short Form Video Content Over Movies

Louis Koo has long been a staunch supporter of the Hong Kong film industry.

The 54-year-old actor founded One Cool Group to invest in filmmaking and rising talent, and he also serves as president of both the Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild and Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers.

During a talk at the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival last week, Louis spoke about the HK film industry and the decline in box office revenue, which fell more than 20 per cent in 2024, its lowest in 13 years.

When asked if Hong Kong cinema is dead, he rejected the notion: “Don’t say Hong Kong cinema is dead. Hong Kong will not die, and we will not die either!”

Instead, he pointed out a more urgent issue: the rise of short-form video content and how it has become a serious challenge to the traditional film model.

“Nowadays, people around me are watching short videos — even paying for them. But then why won’t they pay to watch a movie in a theatre? I tried watching some myself — honestly, I couldn’t take it. I gave up right away. You can’t see anything, and people even watch at 1.5x or 2x speed! That just shows how young people today have lost all patience,” said Louis.

He also pointed out that Hong Kong cinema is facing a “generational gap” – audiences are only willing to buy tickets for familiar faces, while actors in their 20s aren’t able to carry a film.

He warned that if this situation doesn’t change by 2028 or 2030, the industry will struggle even more to survive.

During the Q&A session, one audience member asked Louis if he had any concrete ways to support new actors, saying they were tired of seeing him in every movie.  

The actor replied that the most practical solution is for the audience to support newcomers.

“It depends on you, the audience. I can’t act in every film, and I can’t go on for many more years. When it’s time for the younger ones to take the lead, remember to buy tickets and support them. Don’t just say ‘Tsk, who’s this? I don’t know them!’ You can’t just blame us — the audience has a responsibility too,” he said.