The lingering warmth from the Lunar New Year has not yet dissipated, and the Spring Festival is approaching. On January 31, pre-sales for new films released during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon officially opened. According to Beacon Professional Edition, as of 18:30 on the same day, there were 420,000 pre-sale movies on New Year's Day, and the pre-sale box office exceeded 40 million yuan. Ranked among the top three in the Spring Festival pre-sale box office list. From the perspective of film themes, comedies have become the protagonist of the schedule. Among the 9 new films scheduled for release, 4 are all family-friendly works with a happy tone. At the same time, 3 animated films including "Bear Infested: Reverse Time and Space" are also scheduled to be released. It adds a lot of childlike atmosphere to the upcoming Spring Festival. Industry insiders pointed out that during the "longest Spring Festival period" which spans eight days, there is a lot of room for improvement in the frequency of movie viewing per capita. It is expected that through the improvement of overall reputation, it will attract audiences to the theaters and bring a "good start" to the film market throughout the year.
A good start on the first day
The countdown to the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon has begun. On January 31, the pre-sale war for new films to be released during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon officially begins. As of January 31, a total of 9 movies have been officially announced for the 2024 Spring Festival.
According to Beacon Professional Edition, so far, there have been 420,000 pre-sale shows on New Year's Day, and the pre-sale box office has exceeded 40 million yuan.
Among them, "Hot", "Article 20" and "Flying Life 2" ranked top three in the pre-sale rankings with 12.29 million yuan, 12.04 million yuan and 11.73 million yuan respectively. "Bear Infested: Reverse Time and Space" and "Mr. Red Carpet" "Let's Shake the Sun Together" followed closely.
With the official launch of the pre-sale of the film, discussions about the Spring Festival release have also appeared on the hot lists of major social platforms. Related Weibo searches for "Article 20" and "Hot Hot" continue to be on the list.
From the perspective of subject matter, comedy films have become the protagonist of the schedule. It includes "Hot and Spicy", the second self-directed and acted work by actor Jia Ling after "Hello, Li Huanying", as well as "Flying Life 2" brought by director Han Han, actors Shen Teng and Yin Zheng, and director Zhang Yimou ’s new work "Article 20" and "Mr. Red Carpet" directed by Ning Hao and starring Andy Lau.
There is also a rich supply of animated movies, including "Bear Bears: Reversing Time and Space", the 10th movie of the popular IP "Bear Bears", "Bajie: The Lower World of the Canopy" and "Huang Pi: The God of Wealth Cat from Heaven". 》Two high-quality animations jointly add a childlike atmosphere to the Spring Festival. In addition, the romance film "Let's Shake the Sun Together" and the action-suspense film "Broken War" will also meet the audience during the Spring Festival.
Film critic Liu Chang pointed out that the Chinese film market has attracted the attention of a broad audience with its constantly enriched theme innovation, superb industrial production and Chinese stories close to life. At the same time, the Spring Festival films present a diversity of themes and types to satisfy different groups. demand for movie viewing, building a close connection between the Chinese film market and the audience.
There are obvious differences among movie-watching groups
The real-time announcement of Beacon Professional Edition shows that as of January 30, the family groups in the portraits of "Hot and Spicy" are prominent, which is very suitable for family viewing during the Spring Festival. Male viewers have a significantly higher preference for the racing-themed film "Flying Life 2". "Article 20", which brings together many popular actors such as Lei Jiayin, Ma Li, Zhao Liying, Liu Yaowen, etc., has the highest proportion of people under the age of 25 who want to watch it, nearly 40%. It is also the film that attracts the most attention from young audiences during the Spring Festival.
Movie fan Xu Liang has just placed an order for pre-sale tickets for "Hot and Spicy" on the first day of the Lunar New Year. He told a reporter from Beijing Business Daily, "This year's Spring Festival will include domestic first-line directors and actors, as well as the emergence of some new talents. It makes me look forward to the quality and enjoyment of the movie."
In terms of audience cities, the users who want to watch "Article 20", "Hot and Spicy" and "Flying Life 2" are mainly in second-tier cities. In addition, Chen Jin, data analyst of Beacon Professional Edition, pointed out that the audience of "Bear Infested: Reverse Time and Space" is very stable, and it is the most popular film among audiences in sinking cities during the Spring Festival.
Zeng Pan, the person in charge of the theater, said that he is very optimistic about the box office prospects of this year's Spring Festival. As one of the most important movie periods of the year, the Spring Festival has always attracted much attention. The Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon has brought together many major productions and directors. of works, such a lineup will undoubtedly attract a large number of audiences to the theater. The theater is also making full preparations for the schedule to provide the audience with high-quality movie-watching experience and services.
Chen Jin said that compared with the data for the Spring Festival in previous years, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the frequency of movie viewing per capita. He hopes that through the improvement of the overall reputation of the film, it will attract audiences into the cinema and make full use of the first eight-day long holiday in history to build an audience. The consumption habit of frequenting movie theaters will lay a good foundation for the Chinese film market in 2024.
More than 60 companies compete on the same stage
According to incomplete statistics from a reporter from Beijing Business Daily, more than 60 production and distribution companies are involved in the Spring Festival films of the Year of the Dragon. Except for "Huang Pi: The God of Wealth Cat" and "Broken War", 7 films have 20 affiliated companies. The above include listed film companies such as China Film, Hengdian Film and Television, Wanda Film, China Confucianism, and Alibaba Pictures, as well as key film and television companies such as Happy Mahua and Tingdong Pictures.
From the perspective of practitioners, the momentum of pre-sales will not only bring a "good start" to the film market in the new year, but will also undoubtedly inject a shot in the arm for companies and practitioners in the industry chain.
It is worth noting that on the evening of January 30, more than a dozen listed film companies disclosed their 2023 performance forecasts, and more than 70% achieved net profits rising in the same direction or turning losses into profits. Among them, Wanda Film expects a net profit attributable to its parent company of 900 million to 1.2 billion yuan in 2023, China Film expects a net profit of 200 million to 300 million yuan, and Enlight Media expects a net profit of 410 million to 510 million yuan, all turning losses into profits year-on-year.
The operating environment of the theater industry has improved, and the national film market has recovered. The number of company films released, box office performance, and film business revenue and profits have all increased significantly compared with the same period last year. These are the main reasons for many positive performance forecasts.
In the view of investment analyst Li Liang, "This year's Spring Festival, China Film, an established film and television listed company, participated in 6 films including "Hot", "Article 20" and "Flying Life 2". And Alibaba Film industry, and also participated in "Hot and Spicy", "Flying Life 2", "Let's Shake the Sun Together" and "Bear Infested: Reverse Time and Space". The in-depth participation of film and television giants has effectively guaranteed the continuous supply of high-quality films, and film companies are expected to Continue to deliver outstanding results in the new year.
Beijing Business Daily reporter Lu Yang and Han Xinyuan