Art or box office? How Hong Kong plans to measure the value of a play, ballet or symphony

Hong Kong's government aims to revamp its funding model for major performing arts groups, moving towards a non-permanent system based on merit and commercial returns. This change comes after Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced plans to boost Hong Kong's role as a cultural hub, but concerns have been raised about assessing artistic quality and the impact on the city's arts sector.

Hong Kong has had nine designated major performing arts groups since 2008, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Ballet, and Hong Kong Dance Company. These groups received around HK$340 million (US$43.3 million) in government subsidies between 2020 and 2025, but audience attendance and seat occupancy have been declining steadily for the past two decades.

Lawmakers and cultural experts argue that the government should focus on merit and commercial success when determining which groups receive public funding, as falling audience numbers and seat occupancy suggest the current subsidies may not be the most efficient use of resources. To address these concerns, the government is proposing a new funding mechanism that ties subsidies to artistic merit and box office performance, creating a "funding ladder" for both established and emerging companies.

Arts group leaders would set their development goals more strategically, and the new system would prompt smaller or emerging companies to secure funding from alternative sources, potentially reducing their reliance on public subsidies. However, culture critics argue that standardised key performance indicators (KPIs) are difficult to set across different art forms and that attendance and box office receipts do not always reflect artistic quality.