For filmmakers, the month before the Spring Festival in the Year of the Dragon may be the busiest period, because the box office of the "Lunar New Year period" including the "Spring Festival period" will account for one-third or even more than half of the annual box office. .
According to incomplete statistics, there are currently nearly 50 films in the "Lunar New Year Film Festival". "The total box office of this year's Spring Festival movies is expected to reach 12 billion yuan." Dong Ping, chairman of Huanxi Media Group Co., Ltd. (01003.hk), said in an interview with China Business News yesterday.
The Lunar New Year box office will reach 12 billion yuan
12 billion yuan, which is a relatively consistent prediction in the industry.
Dong Ping said that this prediction is based on two points. First, the total box office last year reached 54.9 billion yuan, and second, the box office in the three days of New Year’s Day was 1.5 billion yuan. “The total box office in 2019 was 64.2 billion yuan. Yuan, the total box office in 2023 has recovered to 85% of 2019, and the number of moviegoers has increased by 60% compared with the average level of the past two years. Although last year's National Day schedule did not shine, the total box office in the three days of New Year's Day broke the New Year's Day record in Chinese film history The box office record of this period has shown that the film market is recovering, and the Spring Festival period is worth looking forward to."
According to the preliminary statistics of Maoyan Professional Edition's "Schedule Calendar", nearly 50 films have been added to the Lunar New Year period, integrating plots, crime, and espionage. and many other themes.
During the Spring Festival, in addition to "Mr. Red Carpet" starring Andy Lau and other stars, which has recently been officially announced to be released on New Year's Day, there are also the highly popular "Nezha 2: The Devil in the Sea" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" directed by Tsui Hark. The specific release dates of "The Greatest Man" and "Article 12" directed by Zhang Yimou are still unclear. If these movies are scheduled to be released during the Spring Festival, the box office of 12 billion is basically guaranteed.
"Mr. Red Carpet" is the first collaboration between Ning Hao and Andy Lau after their relationship in "Crazy Stone". The film tells the story of Hong Kong's "Superstar" Liu Weichi, who has been in the movie industry for 40 years and longs for the honor of "Best Actor". Because of some of Andy Lau's own experiences and the various appearances of all beings in the Vanity Fair circle, the movie has not been released, which has aroused heated discussions among netizens.
Although the specific release time has not yet been determined, "Nezha 2 Demon Boy Havoc in the Sea" has been released on social platforms in October The official account was opened, and "Nezha 2 is coming" quickly became a hot search topic. The reason why it attracted so much attention is because the total box office of "Nezha: The Devil Boy Comes into the World" exceeded 5 billion yuan, making it the first movie in Chinese film history. The highest-grossing animated film. In 2023, whether it is "Chang'an 30,000 Miles" or "Tea No. 2 Middle School", animated films that are both popular and popular will gain momentum. People begin to look forward to, "My fate is up to me." What kind of "cry" will "Nezha" make this year?
Film and television companies have passed the "inflection point"
"The recovery of the film industry, 2024 is the real beginning, because most of the films that support the box office in 2023 are 'backlogged' 'The film company has released almost all of its reserve films in the past few years. " Zhu Yuqing, deputy secretary-general of the Children's Film Working Committee of the China Film Association, said.
's "2023 Chinese Film Market Data Insights" shows that among the top 10 annual box office, in addition to "Man Jiang Hong", "The Wandering Earth 2", "Fengshen", "The Octagon" Most of the films such as "Dragon" were shot over a long period of time. "Dragon" took six years, "The Wandering Earth 2" was separated by four years from the first one, and "Feng Shen" took a long time from self-funding to release. for 11 years.
Fortunately, the total box office of these ten films accounted for more than one-third of the total box office for the year.
But the producers behind these high-grossing films may not be the biggest winners.
The first three quarters Financial reports show that listed companies with theater business performed well. Companies such as Cultural Investment Holdings, Wanda Film, China Film, Hengdian Film and Television, and Happy Blue Ocean achieved double growth in operating income and net profit.
The first part of "Fengshen" The popularity of "Fengshen" has brought Beijing culture back to the public eye. However, the box office revenue of "Fengshen" is expected to be included in the fourth quarter, and the book funds in the third quarter have further declined. Bona Pictures and Huayi Brothers' books are not very good, and the former is with From the beginning of this year to the end of the reporting period, the company's movie box office decreased compared with the same period in 2022. The latter was related to funding issues.
"If we look at the whole year, I think the film and television companies have passed the turning point. Our new films, such as those directed by Peter Chan, are already being shot and can be released in the summer." Dong Ping said.
As the filming base of Hengdian Pictures, which is a barometer of Chinese movies, there have been endless news about new dramas starting filming in the past six months. Zhu Yuqing said that in the face of the recovery of the entire market, new movies must keep up.
