WithboxofficereceiptssoaringduringSpringFestival,long-anticipatedprosperityhasreturnedtoChinesecinemas,usheringinaninspiringstartfortheYearoftheRabbit.

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AsofWednesday,thecountryhasgrossedatotalof5billionyuan($737million)fromsevennewmoviesshowinginmorethan10,000cinemas,accordingtothemovieinformationlivetrackerBeacon.

AlthoughTheWanderingEarthII,thesequeltoChina"smostsuccessfulsci-fiepic,toppedthefestival"sboxofficechartsonSunday,theseconddayoftheSpringFestivalholiday,directorZhangYimou"shistoricalthrillerFullRiverRedturnedthetidebyseizingthechampion"sseatonMonday.

TheWanderingEarthII,whichearned8.3pointsoutof10onthereviewaggregatorDouban,andFullRiverRed,whichgarnered7.8points,bothreceivedmuchpraise,indicatingthetechnicalandstorytellingleapsofChina"sfilmindustry,accordingtosomeinsiders.

MostcriticsandinsiderscontactedbyChinaDailysaidthefestival"stwohighest-grossingmovieshavesignaledthatChinesemoviesimbeddedwithtraditionalvaluesandcultureareincreasinglyappealingtodomesticaudiences,withthetrendyriseofculturalconfidenceinrecentyears.

Ticketrevenueforeachofthetwomovieshassurpassed1.6billionyuan,morethanmostHollywoodblockbustersreleasedontheChinesemainlandinrecentyears,accordingtomajorticketingwebsiteslikeMaoyan.

RaoShuguang,presidentoftheChinaFilmCriticsAssociation,saidTheWanderingEarthIIhasexploredagooddirectionforChinesesci-fifilms,withitsintriguinginterweavingoftraditionalChinesevalues,shapedbythecountry"smillennia-longculture,withafuturisticworldthatfacesanunprecedenteddisaster.

Meanwhile,showcasingthediversityofgenres,theanimatedfeatureBoonieBears:GuardianCoderankedthirdforboxofficereceipts,followedbytheespionagethrillerHiddenBladeinfourthplaceandthefantasycomedyFiveHundredMilescominginfifth.

DirectorTianXiaopeng"slong-awaitedanimatedfeatureDeepSeatooksixthplaceinthefestivalcharts,whilethesportsmoviePingPong:TheTriumph—releasedtwodaysaftertheothersixmovies,allofwhichdebutedonSunday—placedseventh.

WithmostChinesepeoplerecoveringfromtheCOVID-19pandemicaftertheoptimizationofpreventionmeasures,thedomesticcinemamarketiswitnessingarobustrecovery.

LianXiaofang,a38-year-oldmotherinTianjin,saidshewassurprisedtodiscoverlonglinesatlocalcinemas,somethingnotseenforalongtime,whichmadeherfeellikebeinginacrowdedrailwaystationduringtheSpringFestivaltravelrush.

"Myfamilyhasn"tgonetoacinemaforalmostayearduetoworriesaboutinfectionandlackofattractiveblockbusters.Thisfestivalhasavarietyofacclaimedofferings.Althoughticketsforgoodseatsweredifficulttopurchase,wearehappytoseethatlifehasreturnedtothenormalhustleandbustle,"Liansaid.

YuChao,deputygeneralmanagerofBeijing"sCapitalCinema,saidfestivalmovieticketsaleshaveexceededtheindustry"soriginalestimations,asmostinsidersinitiallythoughtthatfestivalcelebrationsandaresurgenceoftourismmightreducethenumberoftheatergoers.

"However,theindustry"slong-termdevelopmentcannotrelyonafewblockbustersoraspecificboxofficeseasonlikeSpringFestival.Wehopemorequalityfilms,especiallythosewithsmallandmedium-sizedbudgets,willbeproducedorreleasedthisyeartofullyboostmorale,"saidYu.

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