More than 30 classic movies have been re-released in Chinese theaters this year, which has become an important supplement to the Chinese film market while greatly enriching choices of cinephiles.
The trend of popular films returning to theaters is becoming routinized in the Chinese film market in 2024, after a total of 36 films were re-released in 2024, with a total box office nearing 500 million yuan (around 68.5 million U.S. dollars).
Both of these figures represent significant growth compared to 2023. The re-releases of the 'vintage' films has become one of the notable features of the country's film industry in 2024.
"Every year, the film market has its off-peak and peak seasons. When the off-peak season lacks new releases, especially blockbusters, the appropriate re-release of some domestic and foreign films can effectively meet viewing demand of movie buff and fill the market vacuum. New films and the re-releases of classic old films and blockbuster hits can form an organic whole. In fact, I believe that re-releases are a common and conventional practice in a mature film market", said Hu Jianli, secretary general of the Chinese Film Critics Society.
For filmmakers, the re-releases can serve as relatively good business opportunities because their costs are much lower than producing a new movie.
Moreover, if the re-release is timed correctly, some films can achieve impressive box office results.
Among these, the Japanese anime film "Your Name" has earned 137 million yuan (around 18.77 million U.S. dollars) at the box office from its re-release, making it the top-grossing re-released film of the year.
Meanwhile, the eight-episode "Harry Potter" series, still being re-released, has also achieved impressive performances, raking in nearly 300 million yuan (around 41.1 million U.S. dollars) in total box office so far.
Sun Jiashan, an associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration, said the re-release of classic films can enhance their charm by using modern techs while providing young people with an irreplaceable form of aesthetic education at the same time.
"First of all, the re-releases offer old films a new chance to shine. Many films from the late 20th century and early 21st century were constrained by technical limitations during their production and screening. And before that, films didn't even have the necessary production conditions. Although some might have been produced with better techs, the audiovisual effects of the cinemas at that time were significantly limited. Today, many classic films have the opportunity to be presented with top-notch audiovisual effects, such as 4K resolution and high-fidelity sound, which truly enhances the charm of old films," he said.
"Secondly, this characteristic and advantage are particularly evident in allowing young people nowadays, who are often immersed in the fragmented world of short videos, to take the time to fully appreciate a classic film in the cinema. This experience provides a non-substitutable chance of aesthetic education," he continued.
In addition to reviving classics and drawing in new audiences, the re-releases of classic films in 2024 have also been given a new mission to generate anticipation for new films.
"The box office revenue from these re-released films may not be the primary goal for the filmmakers. Instead, the main purpose is to promote the release of sequels and create buzz for them. This essentially reflects a mutual leveraging of promotional efforts between new films and re-released films," Hu said.
Re-release of classic movies lifts market mood
