Developing the genre

A report released by the China Film Association and Beacon reveals that women accounted for 58 percent of all online ticket buyers by October this year, an 11 percent increase compared to the same period last year. As a result, an increasing number of domestic films and TV dramas have emerged to cater for this audience, signaling potential growth in the previously underdeveloped genre, according to industry insiders.

The number of acclaimed entries in recent years could fill a lengthy list. Send Me to the Clouds starring Yao Chen is the story of a single woman in her 30s who has been diagnosed with cancer as she struggles to raise funds for surgery, and explore sexual experiences before the illness renders this impossible.

Like a Rolling Stone, featuring Berlin International Film Festival best actress Yong Mei, draws inspiration from the reallife account of a 56-year-old woman who leaves her abusive husband to travel across China alone.

YOLO, this year's highest-grossing film, struck a chord with numerous cinemagoers for its portrayal of an oversized woman who regains her self-confidence after facing a series of adversities and fighting in a professional boxing match.

"From an academic standpoint, these films directly address women's dilemmas and their quest for equality," says Gong Yan, a professor at the Film, Television, and Communication College at Shanghai Normal University.

"Going back to the late 1980s or early '90s, the Chinese film industry was already producing such films, but present-day themes are more relevant to contemporary viewers. The surge in such movies also aligns with the increasing number of educated women and the rapid evolution of the internet," she says.

What propelled Her Story to popularity is its adept use of comedy to shine a light on the current status of women in a way that steers clear of being offensive or overly aggressive, according to Gong.

She says that despite the rise in popularity of these films, they predominantly resonate with a niche audience, mostly attracting an educated class of women.

This is due to the enduring demand in third- and fourth-tier cities for television dramas and other media that perpetuate traditional romances and depict women in subservient roles, generally falling for wealthy, domineering men.

Gong adds that despite the existence of films, like Song of Spring, about an 85-year-old mother caring for her 65-year-old daughter with Alzheimer's, and Girls Always Happy, which also explores a mother-daughter relationship, these films have only achieved modest success at the box office.

This suggests that they still have a considerable way to go in gaining broader viewership.

Lai Li, a market analyst at Maoyan, a leading platform for internet entertainment, points to the scarcity of female filmmakers in the industry, and underscores the importance of training more female talent, as female filmmakers have a more profound understanding of women's struggles and emotional needs.

"As society progresses and evolves, we believe that films centered on women will experience a surge in quantity, narrative quality and box-office success, making it a promising market," Lai says.