Silver screens strike gold over Spring Festival holiday

China's 2022 Spring Festival holiday delivered the second-best performance in history with more than 6 billion yuan (US$940 million) in box office receipts. It was second only to last year's 7.8 billion yuan during the same period.

Shanghai's total box office revenue for the holiday was 259 million yuan. Nearly 100,000 film screenings were offered in the city, attracting more than 3.84 million viewers.

Most of the eight productions released during the holiday were acclaimed by audiences. They covered a wide range of film genres, including war epics, comedies, dramas and animation.

Three pictures – the drama "Nice View," cartoon "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf: Dunk for Future" and comedy "Only Fools Rush In" – were produced by Shanghai film companies, generating a total of 1.22 billion yuan at the box office over the holiday.

The epic war film "Water Gate Bridge," a sequel to China's top-grossing movie "The Battle at Lake Changjin," was the highest grossing film of the weeklong holiday with 2.5 billion yuan in receipts. The film retained the crew and cast from the first installment, but the battlefield for the brave "Company Seven" is a crucial bridge on the retreat route for American troops during the Korean War (1950-53).

Xing Wenxiong's comedy "Too Cool to Kill," a remake of the Japanese movie "The Magic Hour," turned out to be a dark horse over the holiday, raking in 1.38 billion yuan.

"The film's hilarious scenes and lines seemed to be the best choice for our family to celebrate the Lunar New Year together," said movie buff Lillian Sun, an administrative worker in her 30s. "The audience in the theater burst into laughter on a regular basis."

Sun added that her family has a tradition of watching light-hearted movies during Spring Festival. However, this year's silver screen provided few comedy choices for them.

Wen Muye's heart-warming drama "Nice View" came in third at the holiday box office, taking in more than 660 million yuan. The film is a new collaboration between Wen and producer Ning Hao, following the success of the critically acclaimed 2018 production "Dying to Survive."

Some critics consider the film one of the best homegrown productions in recent years that focuses on the dreams, endeavors and touching emotions of ordinary people against a massive historical backdrop.

The film also pays tribute to ordinary people who have contributed to the country's remarkable progress and development over the past few decades.

Battle of wits

Although "Snipers," a film co-directed by Zhang Yimou and his daughter Zhang Mo, ranked only sixth in ticket sales during the holiday, it was praised by many for an in-depth portrayal of a fierce battle of wits as Chinese snipers resist American aggression during the Korean War.

The film rolled out with only a handful of screenings, but theaters quickly realized its value was underestimated, particularly after the word-of-mouth collapse of Han Han's "Only Fools Rush In," which received a rating of only 5.6 out of 10 on China's film and review website Douban for its loose storytelling and tragic ending.

Despite cinemagoers' favorable responses to the quality of most movies, some people noted that ticket prices for this year's Spring Festival films were higher than in former years.

Nationwide, the average ticket price for this year's Spring Festival holiday was 52.8 yuan, up about 4 yuan over last year.

In Shanghai, tickets for most screenings were priced over 70 yuan. Some movie buffs opted to wait a few weeks for the films' releases on streaming websites, like iQiyi and Youku.

On February 6, "Snipers" reduced the price of each ticket by 5 yuan. After the holiday, the average ticket price of the eight movies hovered at 45.60 yuan.

Experts said that with more options during the lucrative season, people have been more sensible selecting films and not following trends and sticking to one single film.

Professor Shi Chuan, vice president of the Shanghai Film Association and a film expert from the Shanghai Theater Academy, said many Chinese choose to watch light-hearted productions rather than tear-jerking movies for the New Year celebration.

"Film distributors and cinema lines should beware of the influence of ticket prices," Shi said. "High prices aren't an appropriate method for the healthy development of the film industry. Cinemas should explore their untapped potential to attract audiences."