China's box office revenue surpasses 1.3 bln yuan during May Day holiday

China's box office revenue during the May Day holiday surpassed 1.3 billion yuan (about 180 million U.S. dollars) as of 19:00 on Saturday, according to box office monitoring application Beacon Pro.

Moviegoing has become an important leisure activity for Chinese residents during holidays, making the five-day May Day break a crucial period for the box office and a major focus for the industry.

Eight new films are being released for the five-day holiday this year, which began on Wednesday. The films cover genres including animation, action, comedy, thriller, and romance.

Chinese comedy "The Last Frenzy" claimed the top spot on the daily box office chart in the Chinese mainland on Friday, data from the China Movie Data Information Network showed.

The film, exploring life's choices in the face of death, raked in 84.5 million yuan (about 12 million U.S. dollars) on the third day of its release.

"Today, we mainly came to watch the comedy film 'The Last Frenzy'," a moviegoer said. The action thriller "Formed Police Unit," ranked second, grossing 76.19 million yuan (about 11 million U.S. dollars) in box office revenue on Friday. It narrates the story of the Chinese peacekeeping police.

"We plan to watch the film 'Formed Police Unit' tomorrow," said a moviegoer.

"Today my friends and I came to watch 'Spy x Family Code: White', because I usually pay attention to anime culture," said a film enthusiast.

A movie theater operator in Beijing pointed out that movie enthusiasts have multiple film options to choose from, noting a high proportion of family-based moviegoers during the holiday period.

"The simultaneous release of eight new films caters to various demands from different audience groups. Moviegoers are concentrated between 14:00 and 20:00. In terms of the number of moviegoers, it was the highest on the first day of the May Day holiday, with nearly 7,000 people," said theater operator Wang Peng.

Hong Kong action crime thriller "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" came in third with a daily box office earning of 53.7 million yuan (about 8 million U.S. dollars) on Friday.

China's box office revenue surpasses 1.3 bln yuan during May Day holiday

Flash floods have trapped Indonesians in West Sumatra in living nightmare, and evacuees are relying on local authorities for food and shelter after cold lava and flash floods destroyed their homestead on the night of May 4.

At least 67 were killed in West Sumatra in this tragic string of events. Some remain missing.

An elementary school Bukik Batabuah, Agam Regency was revamped into evacuation center for 50 families.

Kamilia, mother of two, lost her parents in this tragic event.

"My parents were killed. They were swept away by the strong flood current as far as 2 kilometers. A nephew of mine was swept away by the flood as far as 5 kilometers - he passed away," said Kamilia.

"I was at home with my daughter. When I heard a roaring sound, I knew that's a flood. I grabbed my child, but as I was trying to open the door to leave my room, I was swept by the flood water. It broke through the walls, bringing with it rock and wood debris," said Eva, another victim.

After the disaster, the two mothers lost their source of income. Though sheltered at the school, they still worried about how to make a living in the future.

Indonesian Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini, visited the shelter and commented on a possible relocation of the shelter for safety reasons.

"This has the potential, as seen on the map, to be on the path of cold lava flow. We hope residents living nearby - at least the elderly and the children - are evacuated. These are high-panic situations. There are elderly people and children here," she said

Efforts are being made in response to the emergency situation with data continuously updated.

Flash floods trap Indonesians in West Sumatra in living nightmare