KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 — Following overwhelming audience support, Malaysian distributors Five Star Trading and Brilliant Pictures have announced that Back to the Past PLUS+ Multiverse Edition will open nationwide on February 26.

The expanded cut adds 24 minutes of previously unseen footage, introducing a multiverse concept that promises a bigger and more immersive time-travel spectacle.

The new edition continues Hong Siu Long’s (played by Louis Koo) journey across fractured timelines, delving into alternate destinies and raising the emotional stakes as each character’s fate hangs in the balance.

Since its Malaysian release last December 31, the film has enjoyed a strong box office run, collecting RM10.2 million in its first 11 days before crossing the RM15 million mark this Chinese New Year.

In Hong Kong and Macau, cumulative earnings have surpassed HK$90 million (RM44.95 million), placing it among the top four highest-grossing Hong Kong films of all time in the region.

The film has also secured 11 nominations at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Fans across Malaysia have taken to social media to share repeat cinema visits, and when the cast travelled to Kuala Lumpur last month to thank supporters, thousands thronged Pavilion Kuala Lumpur for a glimpse of the stars.

The cast recently reunited for a festive Chinese New Year music video – a special rendition of the theme song Tin Ming Jui Ko – which has racked up 722,000 YouTube views in seven days.

Produced by Koo and directed by Ng Yuen Fai and Jack Lai, with action choreography by Sammo Hung, Back to the Past is the long-awaited sequel to the 2001 hit A Step into the Past, reuniting original stars including Koo, Raymond Lam, Jessica Hsuan, Sonija Kwok and Joyce Tang 25 years later.

The PLUS+ Multiverse Edition marks the latest milestone for the franchise as it heads back to the big screen.