A moviegoer looks at posters for newly released National Day holiday films in Shanghai. Photo: VCG

On the opening day of the National Day holidays on Wednesday, newly released films grossed more than 300 million yuan ($42.1 million) as of press time, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.

The Volunteers: Peace at Last topped the charts, followed by fantasy action movie A Writer's Odyssey II, comedy Row to Win and crime drama Sound of Silence.

The Volunteers: Peace at Last, the third installment of Chinese director Chen Kaige's trilogy on the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53), has drawn attention for its depiction of the war's concluding phase, blending battlefield action with diplomatic negotiations.

The movie, which premiered on Tuesday night, has grossed more than 102 million yuan as of press time, Maoyan data showed.

A Writer's Odyssey II, a fantasy action sequel to the 2021 Spring Festival hit, which premiered on Wednesday morning has earned 57 million yuan.

Row to Win, a comedy starring entertainer Huang Bo, appeals to urban youth and has seen its box office grossed over 48 million yuan.

Sound of Silence, a crime drama starring actor-singer Tan Jianci, which will open on October 4, has already climbed to third place on the new releases chart thanks to strong pre-sales, underscoring strong early demand. Its box office has surpassed 38 million yuan.

The strong early showing of the movies underscores robust audience enthusiasm for the holiday lineup and sets high expectations for the overall performance of the National Day box office.

The robust National Day film season follows a strong September, boosted by the performance of Evil Unbound themed on Unit 731, a notorious Japanese germ-warfare unit during World War II.

Global Times