Record holiday box office mirrors Chinese movie market recovery

A pedestrian walks by a poster of movie "Detective Chinatown 3" in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Zhonghao)

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- China's box office revenue during the five-day May Day holiday ending on Wednesday hit a record high of nearly 1.67 billion yuan (about 258 million U.S. dollars).

It beat the 1.61 billion yuan in ticket sales from May 1 to 5, 2019, data from the China Film Administration shows.

The latest gains from the holiday, usually a lucrative movie season in China, further the market's robust growth in 2021 that started with record-high New Year's Day earnings, bringing the box office total since the beginning of this year to approximately 22.3 billion yuan.

"My Love," a romantic drama from Enlight Pictures, topped the 2021 five-day May Day holiday sales chart, having amassed about 511 million yuan. It was immediately followed by "Cliff Walkers," renowned Chinese director Zhang Yimou's first foray into the spy genre, which grossed 504 million yuan.

The two films each accounted for more than 30 percent of the holiday sales total.

Crime thriller "Home Sweet Home" ranked third with 190 million yuan, or 11 percent. It stars singer-actor Aaron Kwok, as well as 20-year-old Zhang Zifeng, who has recently become an online sensation due to her role in the hit drama "Sister."

"Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong," a crime thriller starring Louis Koo, Leung Ka Fai and Francis Ng, pocketed 161 million yuan.

"Break Through the Darkness," a crime action tentpole telling the story of China's fight against organized crime, raked in 114 million yuan.

The latest figures, analysts say, once again indicated the close relation between China's movie market performance and holidays, while there are further calls for the production of more quality films to meet people's increasing holiday moviegoing demand.