China's box office makes strong comeback over holiday

Reasons

In China, moviegoing has become a holiday routine for many people, and the Spring Festival holiday, with the National Day holiday and the summer break, are the three biggest movie seasons.

Still, the box office surge this holiday surpassed the expectations of many observers, including Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, who watched four movies in a single day -- the Spring Festival -- in a cinema on Chunxi Road, the southwestern city of Chengdu.

"I have never seen so many people in a cinema," said Ming Jinwei, a blogger and regular moviegoer in Beijing, who posted online a photo of crowds at the Guang'anmen Cinema.

"The movie and tourism sectors saw not just rebound, but rather explosive growth," Ming said.

The lifting of many COVID-19 restrictions helped fuel China's holiday travel and shopping spree, which analysts say also mirrored the vigor of China's economy.

Rao said the movie frenzy made him feel that Chinese films will be off to "a new start towards a better future" after being hampered by COVID-19 for years.

There have been calls from critics for more quality films to draw more moviegoers back to cinemas, citing its significance to the overall film industry recovery.

The view echoes worries among cinema chain managers that young people are increasingly accustomed to going online for films and dramas rather than attending theaters.

"This year's holiday films are generally of high quality, so the audiences are willing to go to the cinema," said Dong, the cinema manager in Jinan. "Can we continue to provide films of this level in the future?" she asked.