Summertime is usually a busy season for the film industry as studios, both Chinese and overseas, release big-budget films and moviegoers flock in droves to enjoy the big screen.

And now, movie fans can even get subsidies for doing just that in China.

The China Film Administration (CFA) has announced the launch of a nationwide effort to support the movie industry. The campaign involves giving away special coupons valued at 100 million yuan ($15 million) in total.

In its plan to boost cinema attendances, the CFA will hand out, via online ticketing platforms, film coupons from August to October. Other measures benefiting big market players, such as tax and rent exemptions, will also be in place.

The campaign is part of China's broader effort to help an industry that has suffered much due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some market experts say the move can release much of the pent-up demand for movies that started in the second quarter.

China's overall box office has reached 22.9 billion yuan so far this year, and the Spring Festival and this summer's box office have accounted for 80 percent of the total, said Yin Weini, marketing director of Emperor Cinemas.

"In the post-epidemic era, the importance of those key periods has become more and more prominent. For theaters, these new policies are of far-reaching significance at such a juncture, to be honest, and can bring great help to us in this time period. I believe that Chinese films will also show a good performance going into the second half," said Yin.

China's box office has bounced back this summer. As of 3 p.m., total box office sales between June 1 to August 19 reached 8 billion yuan, surpassing the 7.381 billion yuan record at last year's summer season, according to data from Lighthouse, a Chinese box-office tracker.

After the spread of pandemic, movie theaters had to face tough realities as any new wave of outbreaks meant shutting their doors for an uncertain period of time. But with newly-announced subsidies on the way, many say the odds are in their favor.