Chinese box office exceeds 5.4 bln yuan after cinemas reopen
CGTN
Moviegoers watch "The Eight Hundred" in a cinema, August 14, 2020. /CFP

Moviegoers watch "The Eight Hundred" in a cinema, August 14, 2020. /CFP

A total of 150 million visits were made by Chinese moviegoers since the cinemas reopened on July 20, with the total box office of 5.4 billion yuan (800 million U.S. dollars), according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report, jointly issued by film analytics platform Dengta and online booking platform Taopiaopiao of the Alibaba Pictures, shows that domestic films such as "The Eight Hundred" and "Love You Forever" contributed more to the box office earnings compared to the imported films such as "Tenet" and "Mulan."

The two films made 2.9 billion yuan and 500 million yuan, respectively, which helped drive the market out of the lockdown setback. The former has made into the top 10 chart of all-time box office earnings in the Chinese cinematic history.

A line for tickets in a cinema in Shanghai, China, August 15, 2020. /CFP

A line for tickets in a cinema in Shanghai, China, August 15, 2020. /CFP

The report also said the generation born after 1995 comprise the main chunk of moviegoers, accounting for 33 percent of all. The post-95 generation enjoys midnight films more than other generations, and they bought more than 30 percent of the midnight tickets.

Obviously, they also enjoy collecting posters. During the re-screening of the classic film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," their purchase of the posters was 20 percent higher than the post-85s.

The report also showed that collective film-watching is 6 percent lower than last year's figure with the pandemic containment measures in place.

A number of new films are expected to hit the big screens in the upcoming National Day holiday, such as "Leap," "My People, My Homeland" and "Coffee or Tea?" With the limit on moviegoer' number lifted to 75 percent of the venue capacity, the market is looking forward to another leap.