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China’s domestic box office sales slump as National Day holiday begins under shadow of Covid
- Revenues on the first day of the weeklong holiday fell by around US$50 million while the domestic tourist industry also suffered a fall in numbers
- The country has tightened restrictions on domestic travel in the run up to a major political gathering and people have been urged to stay close to home
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Luna Sunin Beijing
China’s domestic box office takings plunged dramatically on the first day of this year’s National Day holiday as consumer sentiment chilled amid the country’s ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
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Domestic travel and tourism also took a hit as people were urged to stay close to home.
Domestic domestic box office revenue totalled 262.5 million yuan (US$37 million) on October 1, the first day of the holiday, a sharp fall from last year’s figure of 630 million (US$88.5 million), according to ticketing platform Maoyan.
It was the third year in a row that box office sales had fallen – in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, they stood at 744.8 million yuan and in 2019 they were 815.5 million yuan, more than the three times this year’s total.
The week-long holiday is traditionally a time during when millions of Chinese people head out on trips around the country, and also one of the most important periods for the domestic cinema industry.
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