Chinese movies lead global box office amid Spring Festival surge

During the Spring Festival holiday, Chinese movies have taken the lead in the latest worldwide box-office charts, occupying the top four spots thanks to robust sales.

Domestic films exhibited great success during the holiday season. According to rankings by media analytics platform Comscore, strong performances by Chinese releases “YOLO,” “Pegasus 2,” “Boonie Bears: Time Twist,” and “Article 20” saw them nab the top four spots, pushing Universal’s spy action comedy “Argylle” down to fifth place.

The drama “YOLO” is currently topping the Chinese box office with its motivational storyline about a 30-something woman still living with her parents who finds strength and hope in boxing training and transforms her life.

“YOLO”, which is short for “You Only Live Once,” was directed by and stars Jia Ling, China’s highest-grossing female director.

The actress-director reportedly lost 50 kilograms in her six-month portrayal of the boxer, which became a hot topic on social media and became a promotional focus for the movie.

Sony Pictures recently acquired the international distribution rights to “YOLO.” Their North American and international release strategies for the film are due to be announced soon.

In second place on the box-office chart is the sequel to Han Han’s 2019 rally driving comedy “Pegasus.” With actor Shen Teng returning from the original film, “Pegasus” tells the story of a former rally champion, now down on his luck and as a driving school instructor, who finds his way back to rallying with new hope and unexpected new partners.

In third place is “Boonie Bears: Time Twist,” which grew out of a popular children’s TV series that first aired in 2012 and still enjoys a large fan base. In fourth place is Zhang Yimou’s legal drama “Article 20”.

Another Chinese title, “The Movie Emperor,” landed at number nine on the chart, making it the fifth homegrown production to reach the top 10 list.

Ning Hao’s satirical comedy “The Movie Emperor,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, stars Andy Lau as a has-been Hong Kong movie star looking to make a big-screen comeback playing a Chinese farmer in a drama set in the 1960s. To prepare for his role, he embarks on an ironic journey to experience rural life.

As of Thursday, the sixth day of the Spring Festival holiday, China’s Spring Festival box-office revenue including pre-sales tickets had surpassed 6 billion yuan (around $834 million), according to official data.