The quickest ones get the tickets, Zhu Yilin and her classmates set the alarm to snap up tickets for their favorite movies screening at the ongoing Beijing International Film Festival. They know they also need to be very lucky to get the ones they want. 

"The tickets are gone right after I click on it, I can't even go into the payment page, and it's less than 10 seconds. I have to turn to another movie," Zhu Yiling said, the student at University of International Business and Economics. 

As one of the most widely anticipated segments in the festival, the Beijing Film Panorama brings together over 160 films, screened in 27 cinemas and theaters across the city. The most popular one, "A city of sadness," was sold out in just six seconds. Restored classics is one of the hottest segments among movie fans. Film enthusiasts are excited to go back the cinema and enjoy their favorites. 

"I participated and snapped up tickets for the film festival every year since 2018, mainly for restored classic movies. Every time I watch at the cinema, I'm touched and cry, the best part about watching movies at the festival, is everyone will stay till the last minute, and applaud. It's really nice to end in applause each time," movie fan Liu Xiaodan said. 

Not everyone coming attending the film festival is from Beijing, nearly a third are from other cities. 

The past three years' pandemic have had huge impact on film industry, with the Beijing International Film Festival resuming all in-person activities, the film industry is looking forward to a new spring. 

Yin Xiangjin, the general manager of Wanda Media Co. Ltd said: "In the post-pandemic era, all theaters are open now. As an investment company for movies, we will definitely try our best to encourage audiences to return to our theaters. We will create more fresh content and think of ways to innovate, drawing more young people to be interested and come back to cinema." 

The festival is certainly whetting the appetite of film fans, who are returning to movie theaters in high numbers, and with great enthusiasm. The festival committee said they want to reward fans with some of the best films from around the world this spring.