Chinese box office has exceeded one billion yuan (145 million U.S. dollars) one month after the cinemas reopened as the coronavirus pandemic has been largely controlled in the country.

As of Wednesday, more than 83 percent of cinemas had opened their doors and accepted over 33 million moviegoers, according to the National Film Industry Development Special Fund Management Commission.

Cinemas in low-risk areas resumed operation on July 20, with an inflow capped at 30 percent. The daily box office shot up from 3.5 million yuan to 33.2 million yuan in the first five days of reopening.

The daily box office jumped to 60-70 million yuan after the seating cap was lifted to 50 percent on August 14, paving the way for two highly anticipated films to hit the screens: "The Eight Hundred" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

War epic "The Eight Hundred," the first major domestic production after the COVID-19 hiatus, started to test the market by selling preview screenings on the same day. It lived up to expectations to break several records, and became the first film in the past month to surpass 200 million yuan mark in box office on Thursday. The film will be officially released on Friday.

Four films made it to the 100 million yuan club, namely new Hollywood fantasy "Dolittle," 4K 3D remastered "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," old domestic crime thriller "Sheep Without a Shepherd," and Christopher Nolan's nostalgia sci-fi adventure "Interstellar."

"Although the film market has revived quickly, the cinemas that were hit hard during the epidemic still need more fuel to recover. And the upcoming bellwether films will further heat up the market," said Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association.

August 25 marks the Qixi Festival, or Chinese Valentine's Day. Domestic love films "Wild Grass" and "Love You Forever" as well as the Oscar winner "Little Women" are slated to light the romantic day.

The more anticipated National Day holiday will see several heavy-weight domestic productions harvest wider audiences. They include biographical film of Chinese women's volleyball team "Leap," mythological animation "Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification," and "My People, My Homeland," a follow-up of 2019 blockbuster "My People, My Country."

(Cover image designer Feng Yuan)