With a sizable box office and a diverse lineup, the Chinese film industry is off to a good start in the Year of the Rabbit
In China, Lunar New Year is the most coveted release window for films. As the whole country goes on holiday, this is the time when many Chinese, in the mood for entertainment and with some time and money to spare, head to the movie theaters. Five of the 10 highest-grossing movies of all time in the country, including the 2019 sci-fi smash hit The Wandering Earth, were released during this period.
This year’s holiday box office started slow with revenue of 1.35 billion yuan on the first day of the vacation, the lowest figure in four years. However, thanks to a host of factors—a wider range of offerings, good word-of-mouth, and the lowest average ticket price since 2017—the next few days’ earnings picked up speed. The box office of the full seven-day holiday period closed with 6.75 billion yuan, the second-largest figure in history.
Moreover, the seven tentpoles released during this Lunar New Year (ranging from a fantasy animation and family comedies to a big-budget sci-fi prequel and a wartime spy thriller) arguably mark the highest quality and most diverse selections in the past several years.
Here are four Lunar New Year offerings that may be worth a trip to the cinema.
Amarsanaa Battulga is a Shanghai-based film critic, researcher, and associate editor of ChinaNauts, an online magazine on contemporary China. When he is not watching, researching, or writing about films, he enjoys playing board games, practicing classical Mongolian, and thinking about going to the gym. He cannot ride a horse.
