The Box Office of Summer Movies Sets Record High, Hangzhou Ranks Sixth in the Country
Hangzhou, China – The box office results of the 2023 summer movies have been officially announced, and it’s a record-breaking year. The total box office in China reached a staggering 20.619 billion yuan, with over 504 million moviegoers, surpassing previous records for Chinese films in the summer season. Hangzhou, a city in China’s Zhejiang Province, played a significant role in this success, earning 510 million yuan at the box office and ranking sixth in the country.
The Maoyan Research Institute and Douyin released their “2023 Summer Movie Data Insight Report” on September 1, highlighting the recovery of the Chinese film market and the acceleration of the upstream and downstream industry chains. The report indicates that the Chinese film market has tremendous potential and has fully bounced back.
Examining the city box office list, it is evident that Hangzhou has made its mark. Shanghai and Beijing claimed the top two spots, with box office numbers exceeding 1 billion yuan in both cities. Zhejiang Province secured the third position in the country, generating over 1.6 billion yuan.
Besides the impressive box office earnings and number of movie viewers, this year’s summer movie season has also witnessed several other record-breaking statistics. According to the report, there were 72 consecutive days during the summer vacation where the daily box office exceeded 100 million yuan, a 95% increase compared to the previous record. Additionally, the total box office for the summer of 2023 surpassed 2 billion yuan, whereas in 2019, it only surpassed this milestone with the film “Nezha: The Devil Boy Comes into the World.”
The performance of the film market has exhibited great potential, with a slew of high-quality films captivating audiences. The report states that compared to the summer period in 2019, the average daily box office on weekdays increased by 27% in the broader market, with the highest increase reaching an impressive 43.3%. Weekends also saw an upward trend, with an increase of over 10%.
However, it is worth noting that imported films did not perform as well as domestic films this year, resulting in a significant drop in the proportion of imported films in the summer season. In 2019, imported films accounted for 36.2% of the summer box office, whereas in 2023, it only made up 12.2%. This presents an opportunity for domestic films to further expand their market share.
Furthermore, the demographics of moviegoers have also witnessed some changes compared to 2019. The proportion of family-style multi-person movie viewing increased by 3% in the 2023 summer season. Additionally, there has been an upward trend in the sinking markets’ box office proportion, which rose from 33% to 36%, whereas the proportion in first- and second-tier cities declined. Lastly, the summer of 2023 introduced a significant number of new moviegoers.
A notable finding from the report is that 17.9% of users who purchased Maoyan tickets during the summer vacation were first-time moviegoers via the Maoyan platform. Among these new audiences, 19.6% were attracted by “The Missing Her,” followed closely by “All or Nothing,” “In the Octagonal Cage,” and “Fengshen Part I” with 11.6% and 10.2% respectively. Imported films, however, failed to garner as much appeal from new audiences.
In terms of content and subject matter, this year’s summer films encompassed various genres such as suspense, action, animation, comedy, and sports. Additionally, social topics and special interest groups were incorporated into traditional commercial types, enriching the film content and expanding the audience and discussion surrounding these movies.
Furthermore, this summer saw the emergence of new filmmakers. Directors such as the bid-for-Olympics newcomer who directed “All or Nothing” and the talented minds behind “The Missing She,” “In the Octagonal Cage,” “Three Thousand Miles in Chang’an,” “Tea No. 2 Middle School,” “School Dad,” and “I Passed the Storm” have captured the public’s attention.
The report not only showcases the flourishing film content but also highlights the growth of new audiences and the effectiveness of behind-the-scenes publicity efforts.
The 2023 summer film season serves as a comprehensive test following the industry’s half-year recovery journey. The impressive report card unveiled today marks the beginning of a new chapter for the film industry in the second half of 2023, ensuring a grand finale for Chinese films throughout the year.