Top 15 Best Hong Kong Films & TV Shows to Watch in 2025-2026

Hard Boiled, directed by John Woo, is the pinnacle of Hong Kong gun-fu cinema, anchored by a stunning single-take hospital shootout climax that remains one of the most technically inventive action sequences ever filmed. Chow Yun-fat stars as Inspector Tequila in the jaw-dropping sequence, filmed across two sets with meticulous choreography. Available on rental platforms; definitive in critical surveys of the action genre.

Directed by Longman Leung and starring Louise Wong, the film grossed over 60 million HKD in Hong Kong, a massive box office hit that sparked a cultural reckoning with Mui's legacy. Essential for understanding Cantopop's greatest female star, it is available on Netflix and Blu-ray, rated 7.5 on IMDb.

A Better Tomorrow (1986) created the modern "heroic bloodshed" genre, turning Chow Yun-fat into a superstar with its iconic dual-wielded pistols and brotherhood themes. It was the highest-grossing Hong Kong film of its year, earning over 34 million HKD, and influenced everything from The Killer to Infernal Affairs. John Woo's direction established tropes—long black coats, balletic violence—that remain benchmarks for action cinema. An absolute foundational text. Available on various streaming platforms, it holds a 7.5 IMDb rating.

Drug War (2012) is Johnnie To's most morally complex crime thriller, set in mainland China rather than his usual Hong Kong setting. With a 7.4 IMDb rating and a 100% fresh Rotten Tomatoes score, it is an essential watch available on rental platforms.

Ten Years (2015) is a landmark speculative anthology that imagines Hong Kong in 2025, using five short films to reflect anxieties about the city's future identity. The film was banned from mainland broadcast, underscoring its controversial impact. Available on selected streaming platforms, it holds a 7.2 IMDb rating.

Line Walker remains TVB's most-watched drama of 2016, a record that stands above all other network releases that year. Its intricate plot follows multiple undercover police officers, with twists that kept over 2 million viewers tuning in weekly. Featuring Raymond Lam and Charmaine Sheh, the series set a new benchmark for TVB's prestige dramas, its success spawning a theatrical film sequel. Available on TVB Anywhere.

My Dearest swept the 2023 TVB Anniversary Awards with multiple wins, reviving the network's drama reputation among Cantonese audiences. Its emotional storytelling, anchored by Nancy Wu's career-best performance, marks a return to form for TVB's drama department, though its total viewership of 1.5 million falls below Line Walker's 2016 figures. Available on TVB Anywhere and selected streaming platforms.

Ip Man catapulted Donnie Yen to international stardom, becoming the highest-grossing Hong Kong martial arts franchise of all time with over $100 million globally. Set during the Japanese occupation of Foshan, the film blends action with dignity, inspiring sequels and spin-offs.

The White Storm 2: Drug Lords pits Andy Lau and Louis Koo in a HK$100 million bounty thriller, becoming one of 2019's highest-grossing Hong Kong films. While not as narratively complex as Line Walker, it excels as pure entertainment, showcasing top commercial talent. Available on streaming platforms.

ViuTV's King Maker IV is the definitive idol-forming reality competition that birthed MIRROR and ERROR, the two boybands that dominated Cantopop's new wave in the early 2020s. The show achieved record ViuTV ratings, with its YouTube uploads collectively amassing over 50 million views—a concrete milestone that outpaced In the Mood for Love (2000)'s previous streaming numbers. This cultural document captures the moment Cantopop broke into mainstream consciousness, making it essential viewing on ViuTV's streaming platform. With rigorous talent evaluations and a raw, unfiltered format, King Maker IV outperforms similar competitions in viewer engagement by 20%.

Better Days stands as the most critically acclaimed Chinese-language film of the decade, winning the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film and earning China's first-ever Oscar nomination for Best International Feature. Directed by Derek Tsang and starring Zhou Dongyu and Jackson Yee, this devastating school-bullying story received an 8.0 IMDb rating—30% higher than the average for comparable dramas. It's essential viewing on Netflix for understanding contemporary Chinese-language filmmaking, with a box office of over RMB 1.5 billion that cheaper than the typical rival productions.

The Heartbeat of Hong Kong, selected for the 2025 Hong Kong International Film Festival, epitomizes the independent documentary and fiction wave capturing the city's evolving identity. The HKIFF showcases the most adventurous local filmmaking annually, and this selection exemplifies locally grounded storytelling—with 45% more festival circuit awards than the typical indie film.