On October 2, 2023, Gao Kai from China News Service reported exciting news about the National Day holiday box office in mainland China. According to Lighthouse Professional, the box office for October 1st surpassed 494 million RMB by 11 a.m. Beijing time. This impressive figure represents a 15% increase compared to last year’s National Day earnings and set a new high for screening numbers in the history of Chinese cinema during this holiday.
The data reveals that it was the first time in five months that the mainland box office exceeded 400 million RMB in a single day, following a similar achievement on May 1st of this year. Notably, the new domestic films released for the holiday, including “749 Bureau” and “The Volunteer Army: Battle of Life and Death,” dominated the box office, collectively accounting for nearly two-thirds of the total revenue.
This year’s National Day holiday features ten new releases spanning various genres, such as drama, war, crime, action, disaster, family, science fiction, and comedy. Standout titles include the second installment of Chen Kaige’s “The Volunteer Army” trilogy, “The Volunteer Army: Battle of Life and Death,” Lu Chuan’s sci-fi film “749 Bureau,” the crime drama “Road of Flames,” the disaster film “Crisis on the Sky” starring Andy Lau, Jackie Chan’s comedy “Panda Project,” and the film adaptation of the popular dance drama “Only This Green.”
Chen Jin, an analyst from Lighthouse Professional, highlighted that this year’s National Day holiday showcases the largest array of leading and mid-tier films in recent years. “749 Bureau” opened strong, topping the box office with 174 million RMB, while “The Volunteer Army: Battle of Life and Death” followed closely behind with 153 million RMB. “Road of Flames,” “Crisis on the Sky,” and “Panda Project” secured the third, fourth, and fifth spots, respectively.
Chen pointed out that the diversity of this year’s film lineup and the variety of genres helped attract a wider audience, significantly contributing to the remarkable box office results on the holiday’s first day.
Industry experts remain optimistic but cautious, noting that while the opening day was robust, the overall performance for this year’s National Day holiday is yet to be determined. The crucial factors will be the audience’s reception and evaluations of the films currently showing and whether they can endure scrutiny from viewers and the market.
