The Chinese box office continues to enjoy increased revenues as figures increased by 51 percent in the first quarter, amounting to a total of 14.47 billion yuan ($2.23 billion), according to an article by China Daily. The main cause? The sheer amount of people who went to watch movies during the New Year holiday season.
Despite the good news, experts and insiders from the Chinese film industry have voiced concerns regarding possible bubbles and irregularities in the sector.
During the week-long Spring Festival, the Chinese box office was able to garner 3.6 billion yuan in ticket sales, according to data released on Sunday, April 3. Meanwhile, February yielded the best returns of the quarter with 6.9 billion yuan.
Data was gathered from different sources including the Office of National Film Development Funds Management Committee, which gathers statistics for box-office receipts.
As for box-office performance, Chinese films did well, earning a total of 10.5 billion yuan, three-quarters of the total earnings during the first quarter of 2016. The romantic comedy "The Mermaid," in particular, raked in 3.4 billion yuan.
Foreign titles also fared well, with "Zootopia" being the most popular among foreign features. It was able to earn 1.34 billion yuan in box-office receipts.
"In the past, people were used to watching the Spring Festival Gala and that was it. Now, going to the cinema has become the norm for many people during the holidays," said Yin Hong, director of Tsinghua University's center for film and television, in an interview with China Daily.
Yin added that the sharp increase in revenue may be attributed to migrant workers returning home and treating their family during the Spring Festival.
"These young people are used to the urban lifestyle, and they still want a taste of it back home, while making the whole family happy at the same time," shared Yin. "With more screens set up in small and medium-sized cities, going to watch a movie is a good choice."