China’s Spring Festival box office pre-sales exceed 1 billion yuan, led by The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
New films premiering during the Chinese New Year holiday season have achieved over 1 billion yuan ($138 million) in pre-sales as of Tuesday afternoon, marking a significant milestone since pre-sales began over a week ago.
This year’s film lineup offers an exceptional variety, with the top five pre-sale titles covering genres such as wuxia (martial arts), mythology, animation, suspense, and action. The average runtime of these movies exceeds 137 minutes, setting a new record for the longest average duration in the holiday’s cinematic history. Despite this, ticket prices for major blockbusters remain consistent with last year’s rates.
Among the top pre-sale films, The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero leads the chart, surpassing 100 million yuan in pre-sales. Other notable titles, including Ne Zha 2, Detective Chinatown 1900, Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force, and Operation Hadal, have each secured over 20 million yuan in pre-sales.
Film data analyst Wang Shu revealed that over 25 percent of tickets purchased on the first day of pre-sales were for groups of three or more viewers, reflecting a five percent increase compared to last year. Wang noted this trend indicates the growing appeal of this year’s films for family or group outings.
Many movies in this year’s Spring Festival lineup are based on intellectual property (IP), leveraging established content brands, according to Wei Pengju, dean of the Culture Economics Institute at the Central University of Finance and Economics. Wei highlighted that the Guochao (China-chic) trend has bolstered movie market consumption by drawing audiences through traditional cultural themes and patriotic narratives, allowing them to engage with and affirm cultural identity.
However, traditional cultural elements alone are not enough to attract viewers. High-quality production, enabled by advancements in the cultural industry, is essential.
Innovations in special effects and AI-generated content (AIGC) are transforming the film industry. From pre-visualization to production and viewing experiences, these advancements are redefining storytelling in modern cinema, according to Hu Ruiyan, deputy director of the Qingdao West Coast New Area Film and Television Industry Development Center. Hu emphasized that these technologies are reshaping cinematic narratives in unprecedented ways.
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