10 new films set for release during China's National Day holiday

BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Ten new films have been slated for release during China's seven-day National Day holiday starting on Oct. 1, according to the film data platform Maoyan.

Among the most anticipated titles are "High Forces," a crime action film featuring Andy Lau, "Bureau 749," an adventure science fiction film directed by Lu Chuan, "The Volunteers: To the War 2," a war movie sequel by Chen Kaige, and "Tiger Wolf Rabbit," a crime drama starring Xiao Yang.

The National Day holiday, traditionally one of China's most lucrative moviegoing periods, has been a fiercely competitive "golden period" for major films.

According to Lai Li, a market analyst at Maoyan, the films for this year's National Day holiday cover a wide range of genres, including action, crime, disaster, war, science fiction, comedy, animation, musical, and drama.

There is an increase in the number of live-action comedies, while the number of animated films has decreased.

With the absence of any particularly large-scale blockbuster film thus far, it remains to be seen whether these movies can meet viewer expectations, Lai said, noting that the market will serve as the ultimate test for their success.

According to data from the China Film Administration, the box office revenue in China for the week of Sept. 16 to 22 reached 502 million yuan (about 71.2 million U.S. dollars).

During the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, which lasted from Sept. 15 to 17, a total of 21 films graced the screens of Chinese cinemas. However, only one film, "Stand By Me," a drama inspired by a true story of socially disadvantaged children, surpassed the 100-million-yuan mark in revenue.

China's total box office revenue for 2024 has reached 34.48 billion yuan, representing a 22 percent decrease compared to the previous year. Currently, China is the second-largest film market globally, with North America holding the top spot with approximately 6 billion U.S. dollars in box office revenue.

Nevertheless, North America's annual box office performance has also declined. Despite being impacted by the Hollywood strike in 2023, which led to the suspension of film releases and promotions, North American box office revenue in 2024 has still seen a decline of 12 percent year on year.

Historical data indicates that the National Day holiday period accounts for over 5 percent of China's annual box office revenue. Since 2015, some films that released during this holiday have grossed over 1 billion yuan in box office revenue.

"The Battle at Lake Changjin" claimed the top spot on China's all-time box office chart in 2021, grossing a record-breaking 5.775 billion yuan. Films released during the National Day holidays in 2017, 2019, and 2020, such as "Never Say Die," "My People, My Country," and "My People, My Homeland," have all earned over 2 billion yuan in box office revenue.