Peninsula All Media Reporter Zhong Weili In the first half of 2024, the recovery trend of the global film industry is slowing down. In both the North American and mainland China film markets, box office has declined compared with the same period last year. According to Maoyan Pro

Peninsula All-Media Reporter Zhong Weili

The first half of 2024 has passed, and the recovery trend of the global film industry is slowing down. In both the North American and mainland China film markets, the box office has declined compared with the same period last year. According to Maoyan Professional Edition data, as of 12:00 on July 1, the cumulative box office revenue in the first half of 2024 (January 1 - June 30, 2024) was 23.902 billion, a year-on-year decrease of 2.328 billion. However, it has now entered the summer season. As of 19:25 on July 7, the total box office of the summer season (including pre-sales) has successfully exceeded 3 billion yuan. This result shows the strong resilience and vitality of the Chinese film market in the summer season. Next, with the participation of many blockbusters such as " catching baby " directed by "Shen Ma Group", " retrograde life " directed by Xu Zheng, and " under the stranger " directed by Wu Ershan, can Chinese movies ’s summer box office once again exceeded 20 billion? Let’s wait and see.

China's box office declined slightly in the first half of the year

Judging from the box office of a single film, there was only one film in the world with a box office of more than 1 billion US dollars in the first half of this year, and that was the recently released " Inside Out 2". Hollywood ranked second The box office of the sci-fi blockbuster " Dune 2" was US$709 million, which was not even as good as "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" (US$841 million), which ranked third in the first half of last year. The box office of the Chinese mainland movie market has also declined. According to Maoyan Professional Edition data, as of 12:00 on July 1, the cumulative total box office revenue in the first half of 2024 (January 1 - June 30, 2024) was 23.902 billion, a year-on-year decrease 2.328 billion, " hot " (3.460 billion), " speeding life " (3.398 billion), "Article 20" (2.454 billion), "Bear Infested·Reverse Time and Space" (2.006 billion), " The annual meeting cannot be stopped!" (1.061 billion) became the top five box office in the first half of 2024.

Although the box office has decreased in the first half of 2024, a number of outstanding works have emerged in the Chinese film market, covering a variety of themes and styles. These films not only made breakthroughs in plot and production, but also won the love and praise of the audience in terms of performance and emotional expression. From action films to romance films, from comedies to crime films, each work demonstrates the unique charm of Chinese-language films. For example, the Spring Festival box office champion "Hot" goes beyond the framework of traditional inspirational films and presents the rich inner world of the characters and the true face of life by in-depth exploration of multiple themes such as family, friendship and love. The pursuit of dreams in the movie is not only a symbol of success, but also a process of personal growth and self-realization. In particular, the protagonist Le Ying's persistence in boxing and perseverance in life show the fragile yet tough side of human nature. The movie "Flying Life 2" not only maintains the excitement of the original work in the sequel, but also significantly improves the plot and character depth. In the film, the details of the racing preparations, the tension on the track, and the emotional entanglements between the characters are all presented in detail, allowing the audience to feel both the thrill of speed and the true feelings of the characters.

More than 80 films compete for summer releases

Since June, the film market has officially entered the competition for summer releases. Maoyan Professional Edition data shows that there are currently more than 80 movies scheduled for summer. However, the box office of the Dragon Boat Festival, which kicks off the summer season, has shrunk by half compared to the previous year. Fortunately, the movie box office has begun to pick up recently. As of 19:25 on July 7, the total box office of the summer season (including pre-sales) has successfully exceeded 3 billion yuan. This result shows the strong resilience and vitality of the Chinese film market in the summer season. Specifically in terms of movies, "There's a Canteen in the Clouds", "" and "Inside Out 2" are temporarily among the top three in the box office list. These movies have contributed a lot to the summer box office. In particular, the movie "Manslaughter" has become the single-day box office champion for 5 consecutive days since its release on July 3. The single-day box office on July 6 and 7 both exceeded 100 million yuan. The film was directed by Ke Wen, the director of "Manslaughter" Lee's new suspenseful work, although the "extreme release" promotion period is short, its popularity continues to rise after its release. Currently, Lighthouse Professional AI predicts that its box office is expected to exceed 1.5 billion yuan.

The next films to be released will shoulder the heavy burden of the summer box office, such as "Catch a Baby" by "Shen Ma Group", "Retrograde Life" directed by Xu Zheng, "Under the Stranger" directed by Wu Ershan, starring Jackie Chan " myth " sequel " legend ", as well as Marvel's "Deadpool and Wolverine", Universal Pictures' "Despicable Me 4", etc. The summer season is not only an important engine for the year-round box office, but also a key opportunity for film and television companies to generate revenue. From the perspective of film producers, Wanda Films, Ruyi Pictures, Light Chaser Animation, etc. are performing steadily, while Bona Pictures and Huayi Brothers, which performed relatively weakly in last year's big period, are also making efforts in the summer period.

However, due to the overlap between the 2024 European Cup (June 14th to July 14th) and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (July 26th to August 11th) and the summer vacation. The energy and "gold power" of some viewers will be attracted by these two major international sports events, thereby reducing the demand for entertainment projects such as watching movies, causing a diversion of moviegoers. Of course, since July and August every year are the main production areas for summer box office. As more big-budget new films enter the market one after another, the summer season will inevitably usher in a peak movie-watching period.