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2021 is not over just yet, but it's safe to say that China will be the world's largest box office market for the second year in a row. The national box office surpassed 46 billion yuan ($7.2 billion) as of December 25, more than anywhere else in the world.
The top 3 movie earners are the Chinese war epic "The Battle at Lake Changjin," bittersweet family drama "Hi, Mom" and mystery-comedy "Detective Chinatown 3."
Audiences stand in front of a poster of Chinese film "The Battle at Lake Changjin." /CFP
"The Battle at Lake Changjin," took in over 5.7 billion yuan, which makes it not only the top-grossing movie in China this year, but in the country's history. The film tells a story about determination despite hardships and shows how Chinese soldiers battled hunger, cold and one of the world's best-equipped militaries during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea in the early 1950s.
"Hi, Mom" tells a mother-daughter story based on the director's real life. It has made 5.4 billion yuan in the Chinese box office so far, and become a shining moment in the rise of female voices in the male-dominated film industry.
A poster of the bittersweet family drama "Hi, Mom." /CFP
The 3rd installment of "Detective Chinatown" pocketed over 4.5 billion yuan. This time around, two crime solvers are invited to Tokyo to crack a new and perplexing case, leading to a contest between the best detectives in Asia.
Eight of the top 10 movies are domestic productions. The two foreign films that made the cut are "Fast Furious 9" and "Godzilla vs. Kong," which ranked fifth and eighth, respectively.
Like much of the world, COVID-19 has hurt on the film industry in China, but the box office is recovering. It's not fully back to pre-pandemic levels, but in 2021, revenue rose by 126 percent compared to last year, and that is progress.
Reporter: Zhang Meng
Video editor: Zhang Chunnan
Editor: Zhang Ziyu
Cover image designer: Jia Jieqiong
