BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Traditional Spring Festival celebrations include firecrackers, family reunions and temple fairs, but today it might be worth adding cinema to the list.
Chinese cinemas posted a record of 3.347 billion yuan (about 487 million U.S. dollars) in ticket sales during the seven-day holiday, from Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, according to industry figures.
China's box office sales also set a single-day record on Jan. 28, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, at 805 million yuan.
The strong figures came after China registered weak growth in box office sales in 2016, when 45.712 billion yuan was reported, or a 3.73 percent annual growth.
HOT MARKET
As cinemas sprout up nationwide, with the number of screens exceeding 40,000, going to the movies has become a popular holiday pastime.
Full cinemas were found in big cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but also in smaller cities across the country.
Wu Xiaoqi, 26, chose to spend half a day with her cousins in a cinema near her home in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality when the holiday was drawing to its end.
"We were hanging out and then decided to see a movie since it was a good way to kill time," said Wu, who works in Beijing.
After watching "Kung-Fu Yoga," an action starring Jackie Chan, they decided to stay at the cinema.
"We had a lot of spare time then and my cousins were interested in the story of 'Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back,' so we stayed in the theater to watch it," Wu said.
Directed by Hark Tsui and partly scripted by Stephen Chow, the fantasy-action tells the story of a monk bringing his three disciples to the west, a story immortalized in the Chinese classic novel "Journey to the West."
Both movies were popular across the country. "Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back" took 1.153 billion yuan over the seven days, topping the holiday box office, while "Kung-Fu Yoga," earned 870 million yuan.
Though vastly different films, they share two things in common: comedy elements and famous stars.
"The holiday is an important battleground for the Chinese film market," said Rao Shuguang, secretary-general of the China Film Association. "Due to stiff competition, films screened during this period are more likely to be blockbusters."
MORE TO IMPROVE
Led by domestic blockbusters, homemade films took the lion's share of holiday earnings.
However, despite strong ticket sales, worries over the quality of domestic productions persist.
Influential entertainment website douban.com, rated both "Kung-Fu Yoga" and "Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back" as less than 6 out of 10.
Some observers were also worried about the lack of imagination in domestic productions, complaining that the classic "Journey to the West," had been made several times before.
Observers have said that the film market could face a setback after its short term successes, and that filmmakers should focus on making high-quality films to guarantee the healthy market development.
Yin Hong, a professor at Tsinghua University, said filmmakers should not just be satisfied with targeting box office earnings, but that they also needed to improve the quality of their content.
He said that in order to match ticket sales with favorable reviews, domestic films should make progress in a changing society.
体坛英语资讯:Kenyan womens medal sweep opens Daegu Worlds
体坛英语资讯:American Football Making Foray Into India
体坛英语资讯:Little progress in talks to end Spanish Football players strike
体坛英语资讯:Rodriguez takes stage and overall lead in Vuelta
体坛英语资讯:Messi, the hero again
体坛英语资讯:Barcelona beat Porto to lift European Super Cup
体坛英语资讯:Camacho arrives in China for new post
体坛英语资讯:Schalke humbles Cologne 5-1 at German Bundesliga
体坛英语资讯:Blatter says Colombia can host World Cup in 2026
体坛英语资讯:China appoints Camacho as coach of national soccer team
体坛英语资讯:Turkish champions withdraw from UEFA Champions League
体坛英语资讯:Monchengladbach surprises Wolfsburg 4-1 at German Bundesliga
体坛英语资讯:Athletic in Europa League group stage without kicking a ball
体坛英语资讯:Sao Paulo secures Henrique for five more seasons
体坛英语资讯:Hewitt to skip US Open
体坛英语资讯:London to be Liu Xiangs last Olympic destination
体坛英语资讯:Arsenal reaches agreement with Man City for Nasri move
体坛英语资讯:Messi awarded Europe best player
体坛英语资讯:Cameroonian football star EtoO joins Russian club
体坛英语资讯:Italian soccer new season threatened by strike
体坛英语资讯:Bayern wins, Cologne stuns Hamburg at German Bundesliga
体坛英语资讯:Chinese-U.S. basketball teams shake hands after brawl
体坛英语资讯:Real Sociedad obtain Arsenals Vela on loan
体坛英语资讯:Worlds leading hurdlers safely advance in Daegu worlds
体坛英语资讯:World No.1 Wang Shixian out of badminton worlds
体坛英语资讯:Csehs golden days without Michael Phelps
体坛英语资讯:Zico accepts offer to lead Iraqi national soccer team
体坛英语资讯:In U.S., Cricket Stages a Comeback
体坛英语资讯:Cameroons soccer star Etoo to join Russian side Anzhi
体坛英语资讯:Real crush Zaragoza 6-0 to open up La Liga