People watch a movie at the reopened Capital Cinema (Xidan branch) in Beijing, capital of China, July 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Peng Ziyang)

 
Two months into the reopening of cinemas in China since the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s film market has regained its momentum with a total of 150 million viewers contributing to a box office surpassing 5.4 billion yuan ($797 million), according to a report released on Tuesday by some online ticket-booking platforms.

From July 20 to September 20, China’s total box office reached 5.416 billion yuan, with domestically produced movies The Eight Hundred and Love You Forever topping the charts. They have driven the film market on multiple levels with their outstanding performance, China News reported on Tuesday. 

The Eight Hundred, in particular, has been regarded as a milestone for Chinese war epics since its premiere, as it won the largest audiences for five consecutive weeks, taking 2.88 billion yuan ($425 million) at the global box office to become the highest-earning film of 2020. 

The report also showed results of the audience structure, which indicates that Generation Z (people born after 1995) accounts for the largest portion of the entire audience group. 

Not only do they take up the highest percentage – over one third – of the overall ratio and midnight movie ratio, they also contributed to a 5 percent increase in ticket purchases on Chinese Valentine’s Day compared with last year. 

Apart from festivals and midnight movies, Generation Z has shown an unexpected preference for classic movies, such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which was re-screened 18 years after its premier. 

A post-epidemic pattern has been observed in Chinese cinemas, such as group viewing behavior. 

Much is expected, by cinemas and audiences across China, for the upcoming National Day holiday from October 1-8, normally a major box office earner for the Chinese mainland. 

Although cinemas will only be permitted to open at 75 percent capacity during 2020's holiday period, an explosive period of growth should boost China’s post-epidemic film market, the report said. 

Global Times