National Day Movies Exceed 100 Million Yuan in Pre-Sale Box Office
September 28, 2023 – This year’s National Day release in China is expected to be a blockbuster success as the pre-sale box office for the new movies has already exceeded 100 million yuan ($15.6 million). According to Maoyan statistics, as of 13:00 on September 28, the total pre-sale box office for the National Day movies reached 136 million yuan ($21.2 million). With 12 films set to be released on September 28 and 29, leading film companies like China Film, Shanghai Film, and Enlight Media are participating in the distribution.
The National Day release lineup is dominated by domestic blockbusters, covering various genres such as romance, war, suspense, and animation. The overall quality of the films is high, and the industry expects the enthusiasm generated by the summer releases to continue.
Animated films account for half of this year’s National Day movies, including titles like “Paw Paw Team Movie 2: Super Adventure” and “Beacon Bear: Mission to Mars”. These films target the parent-child travel market during the National Day holidays. Additionally, four main theme movies, two comedy films, and two others focusing on adventure and mythology complete the lineup.
“The Ex 4: Young Marriage” and “Volunteers: Heroes Attack”, produced by China Films, have emerged as top contenders in terms of pre-sale ticket sales, with 50.8211 million yuan ($7.9 million) and 22.9583 ($3.6 million) million yuan respectively. “Solid as a Rock”, controlled and distributed by Enlight Media, has also garnered attention with a total pre-sale box office of 30.909 million yuan ($4.8 million).
The main theme film category has consistently been the box office champion during the National Day period for the past four years. This year, four main theme movies are scheduled for release, including “Operation Moscow” and “Happy Pony Lantern”. “The Ex 4: Young Marriage” currently leads in terms of pre-sales, and its popularity could make it a hot contender for the box office crown.
Chinese films have achieved remarkable success during the National Day holidays in recent years. From 2019 to 2021, the box office volume exceeded 4 billion yuan ($622 million). It is anticipated that this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day period will witness a further expansion in the overall box office, surpassing 4 billion yuan.
The competition among the top films during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day movies is expected to be fierce, with the box office performance likely to be balanced. The reputation and performance of the films after release will play a crucial role in determining their success.
In recent years, the National Day box office has accounted for between 5% and 10% of China’s annual box office. In 2019, the total box office during the National Day period reached a peak of 4.47 billion yuan ($697 million). The releases “My Motherland and Me” and “Changjin Lake” contributed significantly to this record-breaking box office with full life cycle earnings of 3.17 billion yuan ($495 million) and 5.78 billion yuan ($902 million) respectively.
Throughout the summer of 2023, domestic films have shown a clear lead in the Chinese market. According to Beacon Professional Edition statistics, domestic films accounted for 86.29% of the total number of summer moviegoers and 88% of the box office. The supply of high-quality domestic films and a reasonable distribution of box office volume have resulted in a solid performance. The top five films at the box office have formed a pattern with two films earning over 3.5 billion yuan ($547 million), two films earning over 2 billion yuan ($312 million), and one film earning over 1.5 billion yuan ($234 million).
Everbright Securities analysis predicts that this year’s National Day movie box office could set a new record, surpassing the 2019 peak of 4.47 billion yuan. The expected final box office total for films released during this period, including the National Day box office and subsequent earnings, ranges from 54.9 billion yuan ($8.6 billion) to 77.4 billion yuan ($12.1 billion).
The success of the National Day movies is a positive sign for the film and television industry, reflecting the growing enthusiasm of moviegoers and the market’s potential for further growth.
(Source of article: China Fund News)