FILE PHOTO: A poster of the film “Creation of the Gods: Kingdom of Storms”

The China Film Administration’s data for 2023 reveals that the collective box office earnings of Chinese films reached 54.915 billion yuan, marking an impressive 83% surge compared to the previous year, showcasing remarkable growth trends.

Industrial revival

The recovery of the film industry is characterized by a large influx of capital, the emergence of high-quality productions, a rise in annual box office revenues, and improved audience acclaim, which are inseparable from stable market demand and the progress of the industrial system.

In the view of Chen Peng, deputy dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Nankai University, the Chinese film industry has established a relatively stable market pattern. It has accomplished significant milestones in shooting and production, publicity and distribution, establishment of film and television bases, and technological developments. These achievements lay a solid foundation for the advancement of the film industry in the new era.

The past year witnessed a notable phenomenon wherein the ascendancy of domestic films significantly contributed to the overall growth trajectory. In 2023, box office revenue generated by domestic films totaled 46.005 billion yuan, accounting for 83.77% of total earnings. Throughout the year, 73 films hit the 100 million yuan benchmark for box-office success, 50 of which being domestic productions, underscoring a clear dominance over imported films.

Meng Jun, dean of the School of Arts at Wuhan University, believes that audience backing and satisfaction are on the rise alongside the high-quality development of domestic films. Box office revenues are no longer overly concentrated in a small number of leading films. In addition, there’s a noticeable shift in moviegoer demographics towards lower-tier city markets, parent-child movie-watching, and female audiences aged 25 and above. These trends reflect the diversification of domestic films in terms of genres, themes, and styles.

Si Ruo, a professor from the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, pointed out that China’s film and television industry has not fully returned to its former peak. Despite the current uptick in overall box office revenues, there has also been a rise in individual ticket prices, preventing moviegoers from reaching the scale seen during prosperous periods. In this context, in addition to the Spring Festival, National Day, winter and summer holidays, and other major periods, it is also necessary to pay attention to weekend trends. By enhancing the movie-watching experience and offering a diverse range of rich, high-quality films, the industry can break free from the singular mode of ritualized consumption typically associated with festivals.

In 2023, China’s cinema fully resumed operations with the successive release of high-quality films including “The Wandering Earth II,” “Creation of the Gods: Kingdom of Storms,” and “30,000 Miles from Chang’an.”

Ways forward

Concerning the further recovery of the domestic film industry, Meng believes that improving the quality of films is the most fundamental approach. As a crucial medium for the dissemination of cultural values, films not only tell the story of national development and societal changes, but also focus on the major propositions of historical progress at a deep level. As a vital form of contemporary visual communication art, the film industry is tasked with improving national aesthetic sensibilities and showcasing the inner vitality and power of social progress through real-life narratives. At the same time, as a medium for international communication, Chinese cinema made further strides in 2023, striving to effectively tell Chinese stories with the release of multiple high-quality films overseas.

In recent years, internet companies have become deeply involved in every aspect of China’s film industry chain, leading to a diversification of investment sources, innovation in marketing models, and a comprehensive reshaping of the industry landscape. Chen said that China’s film industry should continue to optimize the allocation of resources, while actively establishing a more robust risk control mechanism and fostering a sound management system throughout the lengthy production process. This involves moving away from solely relying on tacit agreements between enterprises, the so-called “brotherhood code,” and the small-scale workshop approach to filmmaking. Ensuring the secure flow of funds and implementing reasonable cost reductions are essential steps toward continually advancing the industrialization of Chinese film production, aligning it with market demand and mainstream values.

All parties involved in the production, distribution, and screening of films is obliged to truly understand the needs of the audience with a sincere and creative attitude. They should grasp the new attributes that films bring to high-quality spiritual and cultural life, such as social relevance, educational attributes, parent-child interaction, and engagement with societal topics, Si added.