Audiovisual effects drive Spring Festival box office boom

Cinemas in China are going all out to deliver the ultimate audiovisual experience this Spring Festival season, with blockbuster films, stunning visuals, and cutting-edge technology combining to drive up box office revenue.

China's 2025 Spring Festival holiday box office, including pre-sales, reached a record-breaking 6.2 billion yuan (about 862.7 million U.S. dollars) by Saturday, according to data from a leading online film platform.

The highly anticipated sequel, "Nezha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea", currently holds top spot. The box office hit's standout features include its stunning special effects, which are optimized for premium cinemas to deliver an immersive audiovisual experience for audiences.

"The special effects felt real. Especially in the fighting scenes, it felt like Nezha was about to run out of the screen. The picture quality on the giant screen of this cinema was really good and the audio effects were also fantastic, especially the surround sounds," said Tong Shuli, a moviegoer.

From Wednesday through Friday, cinemas across China hosted over 15,191 IMAX screenings, totaling a box office of 161 million yuan (over 22 million U.S. dollars), marking a significantly increased portion of the holiday season box office compared with last year's Spring Festival.

"Across China, there are over 700 IMAX screens, nearly 200 Cinity screens, which allow 120-frame-per-second (120 fps) projection, more than 200 China Giant Screens (CGS), and 48 Dolby cinemas. They offer better audiovisual experiences, making them better at presenting visually stunning films," said Wang Shu, a film data analyst.

According to industry experts, the increasing expectations of Chinese audiences have been propelling the growth of the country's film industry, which is striving to produce higher-quality films to meet the expanding market demand.

"The improved aesthetical appreciation and the higher expectation of the audience have been pushing the development of China's film industry. As technology develops to produce better special effects and more mature virtual productions, the audience can have a better experience while watching a film," said Hu Ruiyan, deputy director of the Qingdao West Coast New District Film and Television Industry Development Center.

Audiovisual effects drive Spring Festival box office boom

Hong Kong's first astronaut lifted off into space on Sunday, sparking a wave of enthusiasm for space exploration in the special administrative region, while inspiring a new generation to look to the stars.

The Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 23:08 (Beijing Time) on Sunday. The crew members include Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut and payload specialist from Hong Kong to join a national space mission, whose achievements have motivated many Hong Kong residents.

"I feel so happy and thrilled. This is the first time a Hong Kong astronaut has gone to space, and to see a true Hong Konger, who is also a mother of three, just really touches my heart," said Chow, a local resident.

The successful spaceflight of Lai has especially captivated the younger generation to dream bigger about the future.

"I want to be an astronaut, because I want to discover more things about space," said a young student surnamed Chow.

"I have seen things related to spaceflights of astronauts. I hope when I grow up, I could receive training and go to space myself," said another student surnamed Koo.

To meet public expectations, the Hong Kong Space Museum has updated its space-themed exhibition with the latest development of the Shenzhou-23 mission, extending the display until July 6. Parents are seizing the moment to enrich their children's knowledge.

"At his age, I want him to be exposed to a wide range of information. With all the recent astronaut news, I brought him here specially to see for himself. We will also check out a film about space knowledge at the planetarium. I hope he can get more out of this from an early age," said Cheung, a father.

"We just watched the Shenzhou-23 launch at home with my son last night, and decided to take him to the Space Museum," a mother surnamed Chun shared.

"I saw on TV that so many people were cheering for the launch. When the rocket was launched, fire burst out from its body. I was really happy they succeeded," said Chun's son.

Hong Kong's first astronaut ignites citywide enthusiasm over space exploration