Box office pre-sales for Chinese New Year holiday movies hit 400 mln yuan

China

Box office pre-sales for Chinese New Year holiday movies hit 400 mln yuan

2025-01-24 01:13 Last Updated At：04:27

Advanced ticket bookings for movies set to hit China's big screens during the Spring Festival holiday had hit 400 million yuan (about 54.8 million U.S. dollars) as of Thursday afternoon, indicating a film market that is off to a good start this year.

The annual Spring Festival holiday is one of China's most lucrative film periods of the year. It runs from Jan 28 to Feb 4 this year, one day longer than in previous years.

Six films are set to be released on Chinese New Year's Day on Jan 29, featuring genres such as martial arts, mythology, animation, suspense, and action.

Among them, the highly anticipated "Ne Zha 2," the sequel to the 2019 animated blockbuster "Ne Zha," is topping the pre-sale list for the season. All of the films are scheduled to debut on Jan 29, according to the film data platform Beacon.

Various organizations in the film industry are gearing up to attract more viewers to theaters by offering consumer incentives, such as discounts or subsidies on tickets.

The film industry is also partnering with the catering sector to launch more attractive packages that combine movie tickets with food deals.

"Our company provides promotional materials and merchandise to our partner restaurants. This way, they can launch exclusive meal packages themed around films set for release during the Spring Festival holiday. This approach creates a combined 'movies plus dining' experience for consumers," said Huang Qunfei, deputy general manager of Huaxia Film Distribution Co., Ltd.

Analysts believe that if box office sales during the upcoming Spring Festival season exceed expectations, it could boost the performance of the film sector.

"We expect the box office during the Spring Festival season to grow by about five to 10 percent. If the box office during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday exceeds expectations, supply and demand policies will align next year. This could further boost the film market's recovery in the medium term. This would likely lead to improved performance and higher valuations for the entire film industry. Our estimates suggest that the 2025 box office could reach around 50 billion yuan (about 6.8 billion U.S. dollars), up 20 percent compared to 2024," said Hao Yanhui, chief analyst of Internet media at Founder Group.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.