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https://scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3165597/chinas-early-lunar-new-year-box-office-sales-strong-despite China Economy
China’s Lunar New Year box office sales strong despite coronavirus outbreaks, ticket prices
- China’s Lunar New Year box office revenue topped 2.3 billion yuan (US$361 million) by Wednesday afternoon, despite pricey tickets and virus outbreaks
- Though sales are down from last year, cinemas have filled up with people who have been told by authorities not to travel due to the pandemic
The Lunar New Year holiday has become the most important period for box office sales in China
China’s domestic box office sales topped 2.3 billion yuan (US$361 million) by day two of the Lunar New Year on Wednesday, despite rising ticket prices and sporadic coronavirus outbreaks forcing cinemas to close in some parts of the country.
Sales totalled 1.5 billion yuan on Tuesday, the second highest daily taking recorded in China, though they were down on the same period last year, according to ticketing platform Maoyan.
With sporadic Omicron outbreaks in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Guangdong province, this is the second Lunar New Year that local authorities have urged people to stay put for the holidays rather than returning home to reduce infections. Going to the films has become a popular alternative for people stuck in cities.
The Battle at Lake Changjin II, a patriotic depiction of Chinese soldiers fighting American forces during the Korean war, accounted for more than half of Tuesday’s box office takings on its first day of screening, topping a billion yuan, according to Maoyan data on Tuesday afternoon.
Too Cool to Kill, the only comedy released this season, recorded sales of 358 million yuan, making up nearly a fifth of the day’s earnings, while Only Fools Rush In, a motorbike odyssey directed by former writer Han Han accounted for about a tenth of the market and contributed to 310 million yuan to the box office.
Boonie Bears: Back to Earth, a feature film spun off from a Chinese animated cartoon series, hit 204 million yuan in sales, the biggest earner among animated films.
Though box office earnings have been strong, film-goers have complained about pricey tickets.
Tickets averaged 58.6 yuan (US$9.20) this year, a historic high up 20 per cent on last year, the Beacon data service showed. In Beijing, some tickets have sold for more than 100 yuan, much more than usual.
Expensive tickets could have deterred some film-goers over the Lunar New Year holiday period.
A total of 25.74 million people visited cinemas on Tuesday, a drop of more than 25 per cent from 34.46 million last year.
Total box office revenue this year is also lagging behind the same period in 2021. Last year, the first day of the Lunar New Year netted 1.74 billion yuan.
Domestic box office revenue hit a historic high of 7.82 billion yuan over the 2021 holiday between February 11 and 17, a 32.47 per cent jump on 2019 at 5.9 billion yuan, according to the China Film Administration.
Some 160 million film-goers visited cinemas, a 21 per cent increase on 2019.
The Lunar New Year holiday has become the most important period for box office sales in China over the past decade.
Box office sales during the seven-day Lunar New Year period last year accounted for nearly 17 per cent of the 47 billion yuan earned across the whole year, even topping the three month summer holiday market.