A woman walks past film posters at a cinema in Tancheng County, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 7, 2024. (Photo by Zhang Chunlei/Xinhua)

China's 2024 box office revenue is at 40 billion yuan (5.56 billion U.S. dollars) as of Wednesday, according to film data platform Maoyan.

While the figure reflects a 21 percent year-on-year decline, analysts remain optimistic about the resilience and untapped potential of the country's evolving film market.

STRONG START

The market showed solid momentum in the first half of the year, buoyed by robust performances during major holiday periods. The Spring Festival, China's most lucrative moviegoing window, delivered particularly impressive results, with four releases landing among the top five earners of the year to date.

These include Jia Ling's weight-loss comedy "YOLO" and Han Han's racing comedy sequel "Pegasus 2," which are leading the annual box office with revenues of about 3.4 billion yuan each.

However, the summer season from June to August faltered, suffering a 44 percent drop in box office revenue compared to last year, while October's National Day holiday delivered steady but unremarkable results. Meanwhile, off-peak periods continued to struggle with weak returns.

"The market is advancing amid fluctuations," Maoyan analyst Lai Li told Xinhua. He noted that peak periods like the Spring Festival continue to see strong audience demand, but emphasized that evolving industry dynamics require higher stakeholder standards to maintain growth.

COMEDY DOMINATES

Comedy has emerged as the standout genre of the year, according to Chen Jin, an analyst at box office tracker Beacon. Films with a central comedic element have collectively earned nearly 20 billion yuan, representing half of the year's total box office revenue.

A joint report from the China Film Association and Beacon highlighted shifting audience preferences in 2024, including rationalized spending, increased competition from other entertainment options, and a slowdown in cinema-related expenditure growth.

Citing analysts, the report also flagged concerns that younger audiences have not fully embraced moviegoing as a regular habit.

"Cultivating stronger habits among younger demographics is vital for long-term growth," said Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, in an interview with Xinhua.

The report urged the industry to capitalize on the unique appeal of cinema.

"Films must elevate their value through quantity, quality and diversity to bring audiences back to theaters and keep them engaged," it said.

IMPORTS REBOUND

Local titles continue to dominate, with eight of the year's 10 top-grossing films being domestic productions. Hollywood blockbuster "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" and Japan's animated feature "The Boy and the Heron" rank ninth and tenth, with respective earnings of 957 million yuan and 791 million yuan.

Imported films have shown signs of recovery this year, generating over 9.2 billion yuan by Nov. 27 to surpass their total earnings for all of 2023, per Beacon data. In a notable rebound, they now account for more than 20 percent of the market share.

Although Hollywood films are no longer the box office draw they were a decade ago, they, along with other quality foreign titles, continue to enrich the diversity of offerings in China.

Rao stressed the importance of deepening collaboration with global cinema. "We need to strengthen exchange with the global film industry and bring in more films of various genres from various countries," he said. "This approach not only meets market demand but also offers Chinese filmmakers opportunities to learn and draw inspiration."

Challenges facing Hollywood are echoed in China. In North America, year-to-date box office revenues are down 11 percent year on year, according to Box Office Mojo. "Hollywood films benefit from a well-established industrial system and remarkable adaptability, which warrant deeper study on our part," Rao noted.

As 2024 enters its final stretch, attention is shifting to the year-end moviegoing season, which runs from Nov. 22 through Dec. 31. November's box office charts are currently led by Sony's "Venom: The Last Dance," disaster film "Cesium Fallout," which is set in Hong Kong, and "Her Story," the latest feature from award-winning Chinese filmmaker Shao Yihui.

Upcoming releases, including Disney's "Moana 2," Indian drama "Maharaja" and domestic films like "Octopus with Broken Arms," are expected to drive momentum further, raising hopes that the year will end on a robust note. 

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