The production of Cantonese films resumed after World War II, and the number of productions continued to grow. 1948 saw the initial formation of two cinema circuits, which leaded by World Theatre and Tai Ping Theatre separately. Cantonese film cinema circuits experienced countless transformations in a span of 20 years, but business opportunities always remained the top priority.

In the early 1950s, Globe Theatre and Kam Ling Theatre opened for business consecutively. They each later partnered up with several community theatres to form the “Tai Wan Circuit” and the “Kam Kwok Circuit”, which became the core distribution outlets for Cantonese features. Before long, “Nau Tai Circuit”, “Wan Chung Circuit”, and “Central Circuit” also emerged, with the pinnacle of Cantonese film production coinciding with the formation of the “Fourth Circuit” in the 1960s.

Approaching the late 1960s, the production of Cantonese films hit bottleneck, leading to a drop in output. From 1969 to 1970, only a handful of Cantonese films were released. Unable to sustain a regular Cantonese film circuit, the theatres turned to join Mandarin film circuits, or even showed Japanese films.

Cinema circuits were generally formed by movie theatres in nearby districts and fronted by one or two of the bigger establishments. Their combinations changed constantly. As an example, below is a breakdown of the four Cantonese film cinema circuits as of 1 January 1965:

Formation of the Tai Wan Circuit

After the war, the owner of Tai Ping Theatre recruited his cousin as manager, while another cousin established Globe Theatre. The two theatres joined hands to form the "Tai Wan Circuit".

Changes of the Kam Kwok Circuit

The Kwan brothers established National Theatre in 1940, and together with the Kam Ling Theatre and Kam Wa Theatre they later founded in the 1950s, the “Kam Kwok Circuit” came into being. The Kwan family also ran film companies Tai Shing and Chi Leun, directly supplying movies to the circuit. However, the production of Cantonese features plummeted in the late 1960s, and the theatres began showing Mandarin films.

Emergence of the Nau Tai Circuit

Great World Theatre and New York Theatre were opened in 1952 and 1955 respectively, both owned by the Cheung Kwun Fung couple, who also ran several other cinemas, including London Theatre, Paris Theatre and Good World Theatre. On 1 November 1956, Great World Theatre and New York Theatre switched to screening Cantonese films and “Nau Tai Circuit” was formed together with several theatres, originally belonging to the “Wan Chung Circuit”. This circuit operated for over a decade, before Great World Theatre and New York Theatre switched to showing Japanese features in the latter half of 1964, at which point the circuit was terminated and restructured at the end of the year.

Formation of the Fourth Circuit

14 April 1960 saw the arrival of the “Fourth Circuit”, headed by Central Theatre and Hong Kong Grand Theatre. The circuit kicked off with the showing of Emperor’s Rhapsody at Ray Theatre, Grand Theatre, Palace Theatre and Wah Lok Theatre, marking the pinnacle of Cantonese film production. Following the restructuring of the “Nau Tai Circuit” at the end of 1964, the “Fourth Circuit” also made some changes, becoming the “New Fourth Line” now fronted by Central Theatre and World Theatre.