(Text/Wang Li Editor/Xu Zhe) As the May Day holiday approaches, the film market has also ushered in a new round of box office competition. According to data from the Beacon Professional Edition, as of April 30, the box office and pre-sale box office of the 2024 May Day movie has reached 222 million yuan.
A total of 11 new films will be released on May Day this year, covering animation, action, romance, comedy, suspense, crime and other genres, providing audiences with diverse choices. However, affected by the market environment and audience demand, the animated film " Xiaoqian " originally scheduled to be released was announced to be withdrawn on April 23, leaving the originally crowded May Day schedule without a new film.
It is worth noting that this year’s May 1st cartoons showed a clustering phenomenon. A total of 3 cartoons were squeezed into the May 1st cartoons, accounting for one-third of the total. These cartoons include Hayao Miyazaki's old work 20 years ago " Howl's Moving Castle ", the popular animation IP " Spy House Code: White " and familiar faces of domestic animation " Pigman Movie· Star Action ". The release of these cartoons not only meets the audience's demand for diverse content, but also brings new growth points to the film market. The booming demand for
cartoons in the Chinese film market has also driven the development of related industries. Japanese animation represented by Hayao Miyazaki has repeatedly achieved high box office and high reputation in the Chinese market, becoming a popular choice among audiences. At the same time, domestic animation is also continuing to develop and grow, and is gradually emerging.
However, the competition in the cartoon market is also extremely fierce. Although there are a large number of May Day cartoons this year, who will have the last laugh at the box office will not be revealed until the holiday actually begins.
The May Day movie market is in full bloom, and the re-release of Hayao Miyazaki's classics is leading the movie-watching craze.
Among the many films, "Howl's Moving Castle" directed by Hayao Miyazaki has attracted much attention. Although the film has been released abroad for 20 years, it is the first time it has been released in mainland China. As of press time, the film's total box office reached 23.88 million yuan.
In addition, the box office of Hayao Miyazaki's new film " What kind of life do you want to live " currently in theaters has reached 774 million yuan in the 28 days since its release, bringing higher expectations to "Howl's Moving Castle" value.
In terms of action movies, "Peacekeeping Riot Squad" and " Kowloon Walled City: The Siege " have attracted a large number of audiences with their exciting plots and strong casts. Among them, "Peacekeeping Riot Squad" starring Huang Jingyu, Wang Yibo and others tells the heroic deeds of the Chinese peacekeeping police, and "The Siege of Kowloon Walled City" starring Louis Koo and Raymond Lam ranked fifth with a pre-sale box office of 73.74 million yuan. The first batch of pre-sales.
The comedy " Thelma and Louise " and the suspense comedy " Nothing Can't Be Solved by a Hot Pot " have brought a relaxing and enjoyable movie-watching experience to the audience. They currently rank fifth and fourth in the pre-sale box office respectively. In sixth place, "Nothing That Can't Be Solved by a Hot Pot" stars Yang Mi. The film's promotional video has attracted much attention on major social software.
In terms of romance films, " Journey Through the Moon " became the only love-themed movie in the May Day period. The film mainly targets young audiences and audiences in lower-tier cities. With its warm and touching storyline, it has won the attention and love of many audiences.
In addition, two films adapted from Japanese animation, "Spy House Codename: Shiro" and "Pigman Movie: Interstellar Action", have also attracted much attention. Among them, "Spy House Codename: Bai" has a good IP foundation. Its unique plot and sophisticated production have won the love of a large number of fans, and it currently ranks second in the box office list.
The Chinese comic "Pigman: The Movie: Interstellar Action" has become the first choice of many family viewers with its cute characters and entertaining and educational storyline.
Overall, this year’s May Day movie market is diversified and enriched. Different types of movies have their own audience groups and market shares, providing audiences with more choices. At the same time, major films have also put a lot of effort into marketing strategies, attracting audience attention in advance through screenings, pre-sales, etc., laying a solid foundation for box office results.
Listed companies are appearing frequently, and the industry predicts that the box office can reach 1 billion to 1.3 billion yuan.
Judging from the 11 scheduled films for May Day this year, there is no lack of participation from many listed film and television companies.
Among them, Alibaba Pictures (01060.hk) and Wanda Pictures (002739.sz) are the main producers of "Peacekeeping Riot Squad". The two companies not only invested a lot of resources in the production process, but also contributed to the promotion of the film through a strong distribution network. In addition, Happy Century also participated in the production of this film as a co-producer, further enhancing the film's market competitiveness.
Another film that has attracted much attention is "Codename: White" and "Howl's Moving Castle". These two animated films were introduced and distributed by China Film (600977.sh). With their unique storylines and exquisite pictures, they have attracted the attention of a large number of viewers. As China's leading film distribution company, China Film has laid a solid foundation for the success of these two films through its strong channel advantages and marketing methods.
In addition, Maoyan Pictures (01896.hk) and China Film are also important participants in the May Day movies. Their production of "Thelma and Louise" and their co-production of "The Pig Man Movie: Interstellar Action" are both highly anticipated. As the leading online ticketing platform in China, Maoyan Films not only has a large user base, but also has rich experience in film distribution. Chinese films rely on their profound industry accumulation and extensive international cooperation to provide a strong guarantee for the success of the film.
The industry generally has high expectations for the overall market situation of this year’s May Day holiday. Zhang Tong, a senior analyst at Maoyan Research Institute, said that the new May Day films each have their own characteristics and have their corresponding audience groups. Although the pre-sales situation of some films is relatively stagnant, the final box office performance still depends on the subsequent publicity and post-screening reputation of each film. According to current data analysis, the total box office for the five-day holiday may be between 1 billion and 1.3 billion yuan.
Everbright Securities Research Report remains optimistic about this year’s May Day movie market and predicts that "Peacekeepers" may become the box office champion. At the same time, the good performance during the Qingming period may also extend to the May Day period. Two newly introduced animated films, "Spy's Playhouse Codename: White" and "Howl's Moving Castle" are expected to become important forces driving box office growth.
As the movie market gradually recovers, the box office is expected to continue to grow. In the past few years, the summer, New Year's Day, Spring Festival and Qingming festivals have all set new box office highs in Chinese film history, which laid the foundation for the good performance of the May Day festival. There will be 11 new films released on May Day this year, covering various genres such as comedy, action, romance, suspense, crime and animation, meeting the viewing needs of different audiences.
The brokerage also pointed out that my country’s film market is in the recovery stage, and more high-quality films will be scheduled to be released in the future. In terms of certainty in the film industry, ticketing, distribution and cinema investment companies have shown growth potential. With the steady improvement of the box office market, these areas are expected to achieve greater development. In terms of elasticity, factors such as film quality, publicity and word-of-mouth will affect box office forecasts, and film production companies with hit-making potential are expected to gain greater performance flexibility.
