Critical reception On
Rotten Tomatoes,
The White Storm 2: Drug Lords has an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . Elizabeth Kerr of
The Hollywood Reporter praises the film's finale action sequence and
Louis Koo's performance for making up the shortcomings in narrative logic and editorial and describes the film as "a leaner entertainment-for-entertainment’s-sake exercise that's ideal for the summer season" compared to its
predecessor. Richard Kuipers of
Variety praised the film's shootout and car stunt sequences staged by Gobi Ng with minimal special effects and other technical aspects such as Joe Chan's cinematography and Renee Wong's production design as well as performances by
Andy Lau and Koo, referring to the former's as "charismatic" and the latter's as "enjoyable." Derek Winnert of the
London Film Critics' Circle gave the film a score of 3/4 stars and praises the stunt work and action choreography as "the real star of the movie" and the film's execution as "more original and impressive than the story, plotting, and characters." Andrew Chan of
Film Critics Circle of Australia gave the film a score of 7.5/10 on his blog, praising Lau's understated performance of displaying internal turmoil and Koo's impactful performance as the villain and concludes it as "an enjoyable ride with all that is happening in the reality of Hong Kong today." Edmund Lee of the
South China Morning Post gave the film a score of 3/5 stars and praises the film's exhilarating action, particularly its finale, and describes the film as "thoroughly thrilling." Gabriel Chong of
Movie Xclusive gave the film a similar score of 3/5 and complements director
Herman Yau for keeping the film's fast and frantic pace while keeping coherence was a "100-minute continuous action-packed sequence" but notes its flaws in character depth. Simon Abrams of
RogerEbert.com gave the film a score of 2.5/4 stars and calls it "a satisfying dramatization of reluctant maneuvering" while also praising Lau and Koo's performances and their characters' clashing personalities as compelling forces that keep the film interesting. Leslie Felperin of
The Guardian gave the film a score of 2/5 stars and praises the film's inventively staged action but notes the film's lack of subtlety in preaching the negativity of crime. John Tan of
The New Paper gave the film a score of 2/5 and praises Koo's entertaining performance but describes the action scenes as over the top and criticizes the film's editing. Jamie Healy of
Radio Times gave the film a similar score of 2/5 stars and notes director Yau's favouring of overemotion, which undermines the suspense and tension, but credits the stunt team for the film's impressive action. David Aril of
The Star notes the lack of consistent and compelling antagonism between the two main characters, but credits the action unit and stunt team who "outperform those on scripting duties."
Box office The White Storm 2: Drug Lords has grossed a total of US$200 million
China Opening on 5 July 2019, in China,
The White Storm 2: Drug Lords grossed a total of
¥135.67 million (
US$19.7 million) on its opening day, ranking No. 1, accounting for over 52 percent of the daily total box office in the country. It also set the record as the biggest opening day for a Hong Kong film in China. During its opening weekend, the film has grossed a total of US$62.4 million (¥432.28 million), ranking No. 1 at the Chinese box office and No. 3 at the international box office. The film remained at No. 1 during its second weekend, where it grossed US$76 million and accumulating a total gross of US$135.8 million by then. After 12 days of release on 16 July 2019, the film has passed the ¥1 billion mark in China, grossing a total of ¥1.013 billion (US$149.85 million) by then. On its third weekend, the film grossed US$33.4 million, placing at No. 3, while accumulating a total gross of US$169.3 million by then. During its fourth weekend, the film grossed US$12.3 million and was placed at No. 4, accumulating a total gross of US$181.7 million by then. at the Chinese box office after ending its theatrical run on 13 September 2019, making it the highest-grossing Hong Kong film in China until it was overtaken by Lau and Yau's next collaboration,
Shock Wave 2, in 2021.
Taiwan Released on 12 July 2019, in Taiwan, the film grossed
NT$1.72 million in its capital,
Taipei, setting the record for the biggest opening for a Hong Kong film in the city. By the end of its opening weekend, the film had grossed NT$4.98 million in the city, making it the biggest opening week for a Chinese-language film in 2019. On the other hand, the film grossed NT$10 million throughout Taiwan in its first two days of release and grossed a total of NT$17 million by the end of its opening weekend in the country, also making it the biggest opening week for a Chinese-language film of 2019 in the entire Taiwan. By 22 July 2019, the film has reached a gross of NT$30 million in Taiwan so far.
Hong Kong Opening on 16 July 2019,
The White Storm 2: Drug Lords debuted No. 1 with a gross of
HK$2.2 million on its opening day, despite strong competition from Hollywood blockbusters. By the end of its opening weekend, the film grossed HK$13,797,840, ranking at second place. During its second week, the film grossed HK$6,792,460 and was ranked No. 2 at the weekly box office, accumulating a total gross of HK$20,590,300 by the end of the weekend. During its fourth week, the film grossed HK$871,632 at the weekly box office and was placed at No. 9, accumulating a total gross of HK$24,568,576 by the end of the weekend. ==Awards and nominations==