On August 22nd, 9 new films premiered in the mainland Chinese film market. By 7 p.m. that evening, the box office for “The Ringfinger,” starring Aaron Kwok, was only 29,000 RMB after being shown for 7 hours, with a total daily box office of just 54,800 RMB, which was a surprising disappointment.
Data shows that the Hong Kong film “The Ringfinger” was directed by Kong Lingzheng, produced by Chen Luochao and Leung Meiwei, and starred Aaron Kwok, Gigi Leung, Po Ching Ching, He Enyi, and Tam Yiu-man. The film tells the story of former squash champion Deng Shuyan (played by Aaron Kwok) and his wife Yang Jingxian (played by Gigi Leung), who had a happy family until their daughter Deng Ci (He Enyi) was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age, and the elderly mother was diagnosed with cancer, causing a drastic change in the family.
In the film, three generations of a normal family are closely connected by blood ties and affection, but they drift apart due to illness and the disruptions of life. They are forced to struggle between perseverance and letting go, teetering on the edge of love and pain. In the end, it is a slight movement of the ring finger that ties the emotions and bonds of the family together.
Filmed in Hong Kong on January 7, 2023, “The Ringfinger” premiered in mainland China on August 22, 2025, with 2072 screenings and 1701 viewers, averaging only 0.8 viewers per screening. By 7 p.m., after being shown for 7 hours, the film only earned 29,000 RMB, with a total daily box office of 54,800 RMB, accounting for 0.5% of screenings and less than 0.1% of the box office. Including pre-screening events, the accumulated box office was 332,000 RMB.
According to data from the “Cat’s Eye” platform, besides “The Ringfinger,” other new films that premiered on August 22 in the mainland Chinese film market include Hollywood film “Final Destination Bloodlines,” the Taiwan-Japan co-production animation “Eden,” as well as “The Wedding Banquet,” “Goodbye Bad Egg,” “The House of Little Pigeons,” “Girl from the Flower Country,” and “Past of Pear Blossom,” totaling 8 films.
While “Final Destination Bloodlines” entered the top ten of the daily box office with over 5 million RMB, the premieres of the other 8 films were even more dismal: the comedy “The Wedding Banquet” only earned 275 yuan on its first day, “Eden” earned 245,000 RMB, “Goodbye Bad Egg” starring Chen Haoming earned 10,000 RMB on the first day, and films like “The House of Little Pigeons” and “Girl from the Flower Country” had box office numbers in the single digits.
Despite the disappointing premieres of several films, Chinese movie fans found “The Ringfinger” to be the most disappointing. This was due to the stellar cast lineup, including Hong Kong’s Aaron Kwok known as one of the “Four Heavenly Kings,” as well as Po Ching Ching, Gigi Leung, and Tam Yiu-man, among other big names.
Industry insiders estimate that if the box office trend continues as on the first day of “The Ringfinger,” its total box office would struggle to surpass 1 million RMB. Despite reports that Aaron Kwok reduced his fee for the film, the production cost still exceeded 30 million RMB, while in a previous film, “When the Wind Rises,” Aaron Kwok’s fee was 50 million RMB.
It is worth noting that since the Chinese New Year box office, the performance of the mainland Chinese film market has been lukewarm, even during the summer blockbuster season. Data shows that the Chinese summer box office has dropped by nearly 20% compared to the same period last year, with a 16.17% decrease in film screenings and an average ticket price decrease of 3 RMB compared to the same period last year. Industry experts believe that the current Chinese film market is facing many challenges.
Aaron Kwok’s new film “The Ringfinger” earning only 54,800 RMB on its opening day set a new low for box office performance in films starring Aaron Kwok. Upcoming films in which he stars include “Insider,” and films set to start filming include “Dragonhead in Kowloon Walled City.” Following the severe box office disappointment of “The Ringfinger,” it seems Aaron Kwok can only hope for a better outcome with “Dragonhead in Kowloon Walled City.”