Holiday fuels China's box office revenue growth

BEIJING - China's box office revenue in the first four days of the ongoing eight-day national holiday reached 2.5 billion yuan (about $368 million) despite epidemic prevention and control measures, according to film ticketing and data platform Maoyan.

After months of closure due to COVID-19, Chinese theaters reopened on July 20 with a cap on their operating capacities that has been gradually raised to the present 75 percent.

The country saw more than 62.4 million moviegoers from Oct. 1 to 4, with box office revenue close to the figure of the same period last year, which stood at 2.9 billion yuan.

According to estimates from Orient Securities, box office revenue during the holiday will hit 4 billion yuan and is expected to reach the level of the same period last year, thereby driving the movie industry toward a gradual recovery.

The traditional weeklong National Day holiday, which starts on Oct. 1, coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, extending the holiday to eight days.