Holidays see box office revenue hit record high

China’s box office revenue during the three-day Tomb-sweeping Day holiday from Saturday hit a record high of 821 million yuan (US$125 million).

The figure surpassed the box office revenue of 698 million yuan of 2019, data compiled by box office tracker Maoyan showed.

Domestic drama “Sister” from emerging director Yin Ruoxin, which was released on Friday, led the box office chart for the holiday, contributing 378 million yuan or 46 percent to the total.

US film “Godzilla vs Kong” grabbed the second spot with 299 million yuan, accounting for 36.4 percent. Chinese animated fantasy “Monkey King Reborn,” hitting theaters on the same day as “Sister,” was third with revenue of 55.5 million yuan.

The holiday gains drove China’s 2021 box office total to more than 19.1 billion yuan as of Monday, the China Movie Data Information Network said.

Qingming is a traditional day to pay tribute to deceased family, worship ancestors and go on outings.