Movies like Hong Kong: Gateway to China (1938)
The best movies like Hong Kong: Gateway to China (1938) are Chinese Box (1997), Ship of Fools (1965) and Hoodlum (1997). If Hong Kong: Gateway to China hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Hong Kong: Gateway to China
Quick picks
- Highest ratedThe Secret Scripture (2017)7.2/10 from 338 votes
- NewestPalestine 36 (2025)Released 2025
Chinese Box (1997)
The story of Hong Kong, from New Year's Day to June 30th, 1997, when the British left their colony and turned it over to the People's Republic of China.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisShip of Fools (1965)
A varied group of passengers aboard a ship bound for pre-WWII Germany represents a microcosm of early-1930s society.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoodlum (1997)
In 1934, the second most lucrative business in New York City was running 'the numbers'. When Madam Queen—the powerful woman who runs the scam in Harlem—is arrested, Ellsworth 'Bumpy' Johnson takes over the business and must resist an invasion from a merciless mobster.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCradle Will Rock (1999)
A true story of politics and art in the 1930s USA, centered around a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBright Young Things (2003)
During the 1930s in England, a group of young socialites dominate the national gossip with extravagant and outlandish antics. Among the group is the aspiring novelist Adam Fenwick-Symes, who is attempting to raise enough money to marry fellow member Nina Blount. However, after customs officials confiscate his first manuscript, Fenwick-Symes must recover from the financial setback and figure out new ways to earn money for a wedding.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSix Minutes to Midnight (2020)
Summer 1939. Influential families in Nazi Germany have sent their daughters to a finishing school in an English seaside town to learn the language and be ambassadors for a future looking National Socialist. A teacher there sees what is coming and is trying to raise the alarm. But the authorities believe he is the problem.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMe and Orson Welles (2008)
New York, 1937. A teenager hired to star in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar becomes attracted to a career-driven production assistant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPublic Enemies (2009)
Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger's charm and audacity endear him to much of America's downtrodden public, but he's also a thorn in the side of J. Edgar Hoover and the fledgling FBI. Desperate to capture the elusive outlaw, Hoover makes Dillinger his first Public Enemy Number One and assigns his top agent, Melvin Purvis, the task of bringing him in dead or alive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPalestine 36 (2025)
Year 1936. As villages across Palestine rise against British colonial rule, Yusuf drifts between his rural home and the restless energy of Jerusalem, longing for a future beyond the growing unrest. But history is relentless. With rising numbers of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe and some arriving with nefarious Zionist-colonial ambitions, and the Palestinian population uniting in the largest and longest uprising against Britain’s 30-year dominion, all sides spiral towards inevitable collision in a decisive moment for the British Empire and the future of the entire region.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisJohnny Dangerously (1984)
An honest, goodhearted man is forced to turn to a life of crime to finance his neurotic mother's skyrocketing medical bills.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGosford Park (2001)
In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, each one of these interesting characters becomes a suspect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)
All her life, Englishwoman Gladys Aylward knew that China was where she belonged. Unqualified to be sent as a missionary, Gladys works as a domestic to earn to send herself to a poor, remote village. There, she eventually lives a full and happy life: running the inn, acting as 'foot inspector', advising the local Mandarin, and even winning the heart of mixed-race Captain Lin Nan. Gladys discovers her real destiny when the country is invaded by Japan and the Chinese children need her to save their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Sleeping Dictionary (2003)
In the 1930s, British officer John Truscott journeys to a remote village in colonial Malaysia to educate and Westernize the local Iban population. There, he's introduced to the lovely Selima. In keeping with tradition, Selima is assigned to sleep with Truscott and teach him the native language and customs. But when they fall in love, both colonists and natives object to their plans to marry.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBilly Bathgate (1991)
In the year 1935, a teen named Billy Bathgate finds first love while becoming the protégé of fledgling gangster Dutch Schultz.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisTea with Mussolini (1999)
In 1930s fascist Italy, adolescent Luca just lost his mother. His father, a callous businessman, sends him to be taken care of by British expatriate Mary Wallace. Mary and her cultured friends - including artist Arabella, young widow Elsa, and archaeologist Georgie - keep a watchful eye over the boy. But the women's cultivated lives take a dramatic turn when Allied forces declare war on Mussolini.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGenius (2016)
New York in the 1920s. Max Perkins, a literary editor is the first to sign such subsequent literary greats as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. When a sprawling, chaotic 1,000-page manuscript by an unknown writer falls into his hands, Perkins is convinced he has discovered a literary genius.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGlorious 39 (2009)
A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two. Oblivious to the looming shadow of World War II, the wealthy Keyes maintain a confident façade in the British countryside until daughter Anne becomes an unexpected pawn. Her accidental discovery of secret recordings creates a rift in the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Secret Scripture (2017)
The hidden memoir of an elderly woman confined to a mental hospital reveals the history of her passionate yet tortured life, and of the religious and political upheavals in Ireland during the 1920s and 30s.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDeath on the Nile (1978)
As Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board and every elegant passenger becomes a prime suspect.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe World of Suzie Wong (1960)
A Hong Kong prostitute tries modeling and falls for the artist who's painting her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hong Kong: Gateway to China?
The closest matches to Hong Kong: Gateway to China are Chinese Box (1997), Ship of Fools (1965) and Hoodlum (1997). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hong Kong: Gateway to China?
Start with Chinese Box (1997), the closest match to Hong Kong: Gateway to China.
What is the highest-rated movie like Hong Kong: Gateway to China?
The Secret Scripture (2017), rated 7.2/10 by 338 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hong Kong: Gateway to China?
Palestine 36 (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Hong Kong: Gateway to China?
Yes: Chinese Box (1997), Ship of Fools (1965) and Hoodlum (1997).
How are movies similar to Hong Kong: Gateway to China chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hong Kong: Gateway to China, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.