Collections soar as film industry gets holiday boost

Fueled by new releases and the National Day holiday, the Chinese film industry is experiencing a high with crowds surging to cinemas all over the country. As of Oct 4, the total box office collection for the year had surpassed 30.2 billion yuan ($4.5 billion), with the ongoing National Day holiday providing the latest push.

Topping the holiday box office favorite list is director Chen Sicheng's crime drama Traces of Justice, adapted from real-life cases solved by Cui Daozhi, a recipient of the July 1 Medal and a renowned expert in firearms and ammunition trace identification.

With actors Zhang Yi and Li Xuejian portraying the younger and older versions of Cui Xun — the protagonist based on Cui Daozhi's character — the film chronicles the development of China's criminal investigation technologies through four cases: the 1971 serial murders and sexual assaults of young girls' corpses, the 1983 brutal killing of three colleagues by a high-ranking official's son, the 1998 bus suicide bombing, and a 2016 serial rape and murder case.

Chen revealed that he was recommended a book about Cui Daozhi four years ago, which prompted him to visit the expert's residence in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, in the summer of 2023. Hailed as China's Sherlock Holmes, Cui Daozhi, 92, has participated in the on-site investigation of over 1,000 cases and identified more than 7,000 pieces of trace and physical evidence without a single error.

Following Traces of Justice, which has raked in 257 million yuan, in second place is fantasy comedy Mr. &Mrs. Pardon, which has star couple Xiao Shenyang and Shen Chunyang playing a couple on screen for the first time since their marriage over 20 years ago. The protagonists, on the verge of divorce, unexpectedly find their souls swapped — forcing them to live and work in each other's shoes and rediscover the meaning of marriage. The film, Shen's directorial debut, has grossed 151 million yuan.

Two summer blockbusters, the war drama Once Upon a Time in the Middle East and the animated hit All Wishes Come True! are still going strong, securing the third and fifth highest-grossing spots on the list respectively.

Peppa Pig: Perfect Holiday, which follows the pig family's unplanned trip to China, has become the fourth highest-grossing film of the holiday season. Helmed by Chinese director Liu Yuan, the film incorporates Chinese elements to resonate with local audiences, including scenes of the animals making dumplings and racing dragon boats.

The National Day holiday has seen the box office haul surpass 700 million yuan, while related businesses — from cuisine to set-jetting — have also put up impressive shows. According to China Media Group, the total output value of the film industry chain is estimated to have exceeded 470 billion yuan since the beginning of this year.

Cheng Fei, a Beijing-based industry observer, said the holiday has seen a new trend emerge: the market is no longer dominated by a single phenomenal hit.

With the transformation of audience tastes and growing demand for diversity, the domestic film industry no longer expects a single blockbuster to appeal to all audiences. Instead, the approach is to segment the market — using different types of films to attract viewers from different backgrounds, said Cheng.

That segmentation is visible in this year's lineup. Hong Kong crime drama fans can find a touch of nostalgia in Louis Koo's Mastermind; those drawn to feminist themes can explore Waiting for Myself; and Hollywood diehards have two options — Brad Pitt's survival thriller Heart of the Beast and the sci-fi horror Resident Evil.

Despite facing challenges such as shrinking investment and the rise of artificial intelligence-generated content, China's film industry has demonstrated strong vitality and a determination to adapt, said industry analysts.

As of the end of September, China had added 438 cinemas and 2,632 screens nationwide, bringing the total number of screens to nearly 96,000 — the highest in the world, according to the China Film Administration.

With the proportion of newly added cinemas in county-level and township commercial districts continuing to rise, the trend indicates that the domestic film market is steadily expanding into lower-tier areas to reach a broader audience, analysts said.