From Jackie Chan’s Vanguard to Kung Fu Mulan, eight movies showing in China during golden week

This year’s golden week box office will show how well China’s movie industry has recovered from the pandemic

Legend of Deification is an early winner, chalking up US$11.7 million in advance ticket sales for its opening day on October 1

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Jiang Ziya in a still from animated film Legend of Deification, one of eight movies in the cinematic line-up for golden week.

Published: 5:45pm, 30 Sep 2020Updated: 7:33pm, 30 Sep 2020

Legend of Deification, the animated movie co-produced by the same company that made last year’s box office champion Nezha , is set to become the top grossing film on China’s national day holiday on Thursday. According to China’s largest ticketing app, Maoyan, Legend of Deification has so far chalked up 80 million yuan (US$11.7 million) in advance ticket sales for its opening day, which is also the start of the country’s “golden week” national holiday.

Ranked second in Thursday’s advance ticket sales is patriotic movie My People My Homeland, which took in over 65 million yuan. Jackie Chan vehicle Vanguard, which opened a day earlier than Legend of Deification and My People My Homeland, reaped over 47 million yuan for advance ticket sales for Wednesday and Thursday.

The Chinese film industry sees advance ticket sales for a film’s opening day on Maoyan as a credible gauge of audience response to a production and how it will fare at the box office in China.

The week-long October national holiday in China usually brings rich pickings for studios, which fall over themselves to bring their best films to the big screen. Last year, golden week brought in 5 billion yuan in box office takings, more than double the 2.2 billion yuan of the previous year.

Jackie Chan and Miya Muqi in a still from Vanguard.

With the coronavirus outbreak largely under control in China, mainland cinemas have been reopened for two months. On September 25, the cap on seating capacity at cinemas was raised to 75 per cent.

Industry analysts predict golden week this year will bring in 4.5 billion to 5 billion yuan in ticket sales, similar to last year’s figure, proof of the recovery of China’s cinema sector from the pandemic. Below are the eight movies which will be shown on the mainland during the golden week holiday.