While films were occasionally screened in City Hall from 1896 — only two years after the world’s first public screening of a film in Paris — the first proper cinema opened here in 1907, marking an early milestone in the history of Hong Kong Cinema.
1. The Victoria Cinematograph was located on the corner of Pottinger Street and Des Voeux Road Central, where today’s Wing On House stands.
2. Its founder was Antonio Ramos, who came to be known as “the Spanish King of Chinese Cinema” for his pioneering role in developing movie theatres in the Far East.
3. Opening night of the first Hong Kong cinema was on 21 October 1907, with two sessions starting at 8pm and 9pm. A box-seat ticket cost $1, while first- and second-class seats were 50 and 30 cents, respectively.
4. An advertisement for the launch event in the Chinese Mail promised a “special display of magnificent moving pictures” in a “splendid and comfortable saloon”.
5. Early reviews were good, with news reports commenting on the lack of “flicker” on the screen. However, the Victoria Cinematograph only operated in its original state for three years, before being replaced with a bigger premises and rebranding as the Victoria Theatre. It didn’t last long either, and was torn down on 1 April 1920.
This article on the first cinema in Hong Kong first appeared in the Autumn 2026 issue of Expat Living magazine. You can buy the latest mag or an annual subscription, or read the digital version for free now.
