A citizen walks past film posters at a cinema in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province, on July 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Xu Bingjie)

Crime drama "Traces of Justice" led China's box office on Thursday, the first day of the weeklong National Day holiday, emerging as the early front-runner in a release calendar short on traditional blockbuster fare.

According to ticketing platform Maoyan, China's box office totaled 180 million yuan (about 26.73 million U.S. dollars) on Oct. 1. "Traces of Justice" generated 71 million yuan, accounting for 39 percent of total ticket sales.

The film was followed by comedy "Mr. & Mrs. Pardon," which earned 48 million yuan. Together, the two titles accounted for nearly 66 percent of opening-day revenue.

Directed and co-written by Chen Sicheng, "Traces of Justice" is based on the life and work of Cui Daozhi, a renowned trace-evidence expert. The film stars Zhang Yi as Cui Xun, a trace-evidence specialist, alongside Ma Li as a forensic pathologist and Chen Minghao as a veteran detective.

Rather than focusing on action-driven police work, the film centers on forensic science and evidence analysis. Drawing inspiration from a series of real criminal cases dating back to the 1970s, it follows investigators solving seemingly unsolvable crimes through bite marks, fingerprints, fibers, firearms evidence and other overlooked clues. The story traces the development of Chinese forensic techniques over several decades.

The film's strong opening suggests audiences may be responding to a genre mix that differs from the patriotic epics and effects-heavy spectacles that have often dominated China's National Day holiday in recent years.

Maoyan analyst Lai Li noted that this year's National Day lineup offers a broad range of genres but lacks a clear tentpole release capable of driving the market on its own. That dynamic may have worked in favor of "Traces of Justice," which entered the holiday with recognizable creative talent and a distinctive crime-investigation premise.

The film kicked off its nationwide roadshow Thursday in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, where Cui spent much of his professional life and where portions of the story are set.

Cui joined the provincial public security department in 1955 and has spent more than six decades working in criminal forensic science, participating in over 1,200 major cases and examining thousands of pieces of evidence.

Director Chen said Cui's life story offered a unique lens through which to examine the evolution of Chinese criminal investigation. Star Zhang Yi described the film as not only a portrait of one investigator but also a tribute to generations of police officers whose work has largely remained out of public view.

Whether "Traces of Justice" can maintain its lead over the remainder of the seven-day break remains an open question. The market is expected to become more competitive as additional titles are released, including crime sequel "Go for Broke 2" on Oct. 3 and imported horror title "Resident Evil" on Oct. 5.

These staggered openings, along with sustained demand for family moviegoing during the holiday, are expected to support the market throughout the latter half of the holiday period, according to Chen Jin, an analyst at film data platform Beacon.