China's National Day holiday box office crossed the 1-billion-yuan mark (about 149.15 million U.S. dollars) on Tuesday, with domestic crime drama "Traces of Justice" leading the chart among more than 10 new Chinese and foreign releases, according to online ticketing platform data.
The eight-day holiday, which kicked off on Oct. 1, is typically one of China's busiest moviegoing seasons and one of its most fiercely competitive release windows.
Provisional figures place "Traces of Justice", which is based on real-life events of a veteran police officer, at the top of this year's National Day box office, with the comedy "Mr. and Mrs. Pardon" and the imported horror title "Resident Evil" rounding out the top three.
Directed and co-written by Chen Sicheng, "Traces of Justice" is based on the life and work of Cui Daozhi, a renowned trace-evidence expert and recipient of the July 1 Medal, one of China's highest honors. The film stars Zhang Yi as Cui Xun, alongside Ma Li as a forensic pathologist and Chen Minghao as a veteran detective.
Cui joined the provincial public security department in 1955 and has spent more than six decades working in criminal forensic science.
According to the creative crew, the story charts both the investigator's steadfast devotion and the rapid development of China's criminal investigation techniques. Zhang, the film's leading actor, spoke about Cui's unwavering commitment to his profession.
"In his more than 90 years of life, Cui Daozhi has devoted more than 70 years to the cause of the People's Republic of China. Records show that since becoming a police officer, he has handled more than 1,200 cases and personally secured more than 7,000 pieces of trace evidence without a single error," he said.
In portraying its hero, the film moves beyond the familiar crime-thriller formula of chase and capture, offering a layered visual interpretation of its central motif of traces and conveying the investigator's spirit and values in a quiet, understated style.
"For me, portraying 'restraint' was a brand-new challenge, because Mr. Cui himself has never changed. Ever since he joined the Communist Party of China, his original aspiration has never wavered," Zhang said.
China's National Day box office tops 1 bln yuan, led by real-life detective drama
