Poster for One Night Stud starring Zheng Kai (L) and Jiang Yiyan
 

Poster for An Inspector Calls starring Louis Koo (front) Photos:CFP

February is a month set for the first soaring box office of the year in China, as Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year, two crucial holidays for cinemas, are both in this month. Chinese New Year comes with a seven-day national holiday from 18-24, during which crowds of moviegoers will crush into cinemas to spend their holidays.

Three out of the top 20 Chinese box office winners of 2014 hit theaters during the Chinese New Year holidays - The Monkey King with 1.5 billion yuan ($240 million), Where are We Going, Dad? with 690 million yuan and The Man From Macau earning 520 million yuan -  all strong money makers despite the quality of the films being strongly criticized by movie critics.

Catering to audiences looking to relax, several rom-coms will release this month, as well as a few blockbusters for those looking for more stimulating entertainment.

Blockbusters

Three blockbusters are scheduled to release on the same day, the 19th of this month, the first day of the Chinese New Year.

Dragon Blade

For those who love Chinese period action films, this upcoming film contains all the usual exciting elements, in addition to starring Jackie Chan, Adrian Brody and John Cusack.

Written and directed by Hong Kong director Daniel Lee, the director behind action films Black Mask (1996) and 14 Blades (2010), the film features Chan as a former military commander during the Han Dynasty (206BC-AD220) who must fight alongside a Roman soldier (Cusack) against another Roman (Brody) and his army along the Silk Road. 

Zhong Kui - Snow Girl And The Dark Crystal

According to Chinese mythology Zhong Kui is a man who earned top honors in the imperial examination but was stripped of his title by the emperor for his ugly appearance. His spirit condemned to Hell after committing suicide, the King of Hell decides to make use of the intelligent scholar by promoting him to "King of Ghosts," tasking him to maintain order among the world of spirits.

Co-directed by Peter Pau and Zhao Tianyu, the film stars Chen Kun as Zhong Kui and Li Bingbing as the titular evil Snow Girl. 

Wolf Totem

This is a major Sino-French co-produced film directed by renowned French director Jean Jacques Annaud, who is famous for his work on the films The Lover, The Bear and Two Brothers.

This film is an adaptation of the best-selling Chinese novel of the same name written by Jiang Rong.

Published in 2004, the book has been reprinted more than 150 times, translated into 39 languages and sold in over 110 countries. It portrays the relationship between human beings and wolves living on the Inner Mongolia prairie lands.

Production on the film started in 2009. Establishing a base in Beijing, the production team took almost two years to train 100 wolves, of which 20 appear in the film.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

The only overseas live-action blockbuster film to release in China this month, this is the third installment in The Hunger Games film series and the first part of the final novel Mockingjay.

 Released in North American and the UK in November, it has received generally positive reviews.

In the newest film, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself in District 13 after shattering the games forever. Under the leadership of President Coin and the advice of her trusted friends, Katniss spreads her wings as she fights to save Peeta and a nation moved by her courage. It will hit domestic screens on the February 8.

Big Hero 6

The only foreign animated film released in the mainland this month, fans of Disney's animated fare and Marvel's superhero movies are looking forward to February 28 to see if the film can live up to last year's blockbuster Frozen.

The film tells the story of a robotics genius who tries to deal with his older brother's death by taking the healthcare robot his brother invented and turn it into a superhero.

Romance and comedy films

One Night Stud

Featuring rising heartthrob Zheng Kai and young actress Jiang Yiyan, this rom-com focuses on portraying feminism and young men and women's views about love and sex in today's modern age. At a press conference for the film, director Li Xinman said that audiences in China should consider the ages of people they take to the film themselves as the rom-com is definitely not for the underaged.

Somewhere Only We Know

Another big screen work of actress-turned-director Xu Jinglei, with renowned Chinese writer Wang Shuo as screen-writer, this romance film depicts the love stories of two couples in China and Prague.

Among the young cast, leading actor Wu Yifan is probably the most highly notable star. Former team leader of South Korean pop group EXO, he was one of the most popular members with his millions of fans in both China and South Korea. Withdrawing from the group in 2014, he returned to China to continue his future career. His first work since leaving the pop group withdraw, the film will hit cinemas on February 10.

An Inspector Calls

Directed by Hong Kong comedy director Wong Bak-ming and Herman Yau, the film is an adaptation of the British stage play of the same name. It gathers several famous Hong Kong actors and actresses such as Louis Koo, Eric Tsang, Donnie Yen and Lam Ka-tung.

Koo plays an unlicensed inspector who comes to investigate a suicide case. During the course of his investigation, the film pokes fun at the more absurd parts of society. 

A typical Hong Kong comedy suitable for families, it is scheduled to hit theaters on Friday.