China’s summer movie box office heads for an early winter on the dearth of blockbusters during Communist Party’s centenary

Ticket sales during the June-August summer holiday amounted to 6.7 billion yuan on Tuesday, the lowest number since 2013

Some Hollywood titles including Walt Disney’s “Cruella” and “Mulan” were affected by the slow summer

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A boy looking at poster of the Disney movie “Mulan” outside a cinema on the day of its premiere in Beijing on September 11, 2020. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:32pm, 31 Aug 2021Updated: 3:52pm, 31 Aug 2021

China is seeing one of its slowest summer holiday box office seasons in years after a Delta-driven outbreak kept audiences home, while concerns grow that a regulatory crackdown on celebrities and idols could prevent the industry from bouncing back.

Ticket sales during the June-August summer holiday amounted to 6.7 billion yuan (US$1 billion) as of Tuesday morning, according to ticketing platform Maoyan Entertainment. That’s the lowest number since 2013, excluding last year, which saw much of China locked down for months in a bid to contain the virus.

The slump reverses a boom from earlier this year, when China reported record New Year’s Day and Lunar New Year holiday box office revenue as normal life resumed across the country. It comes as the outbreak hits the wider Chinese economy, with the country’s services industry contracting for the first time since March of 2020.

The lack of blockbuster releases contributed to the slump. The three-month season was dominated by patriotic titles as the ruling Communist Party celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Emma Stone as Cruella in Disney’s live-action comedy based on the character of Cruella de Vil from the 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians. Photo: Handout

There’s uncertainty about whether China’s box office will make a full recovery this year now that the Delta outbreak has been contained, as the regulatory spotlight turns to the entertainment sector. After cracking down on the technology and education sectors, signs that government officials want to rein in the influence of celebrities and idols have spooked investors.