On October 8, 2023, the Lighthouse Research Institute unveiled its “2024 National Day Film Market Insights Report,” offering a detailed analysis across six crucial areas: market trends, audience demographics, competitive landscape, standout films, promotional channels, and cinema performance in various cities.
The report indicates that the total box office revenue for the National Day holiday period, spanning October 1 to 7, 2024, hit an impressive 2.104 billion yuan, with ticket sales reaching 52.09 million. Domestic films were particularly dominant, bringing in 2.017 billion yuan, or an astounding 95.87% of the total earnings. The top five films during this time included “The Volunteers: Battle of Life and Death,” which grossed 805 million yuan, followed by “The Road of Flames” at 359 million yuan, “Unit 749” at 356 million yuan, “Project Panda” at 215 million yuan, and “Crisis Route” at 170 million yuan.
The report makes note of a record-setting first day for the National Day holiday, which generated 490 million yuan, marking the highest single-day box office figure in three years. However, it also points to a significant revenue decline in the following days, suggesting a lack of momentum. “The Volunteers: Battle of Life and Death” emerged as a standout, amassing over 800 million yuan, making it the only film during the holiday period with the potential to cross the billion yuan mark. Four films earned between 100 million and 500 million yuan, while other new releases struggled, with none exceeding 30 million yuan.
When it comes to audience demographics, nearly 60% of ticket buyers during the 2024 National Day holiday were women, reflecting a growing maturity in age distribution, particularly among those over 35. The box office performance in third- and fourth-tier cities remained stable year-over-year, contributing over 40% to the total box office revenue. On average, moviegoers attended 1.19 films during the holiday, with 90% choosing to see just one. Additionally, the average ticket purchase per person was 1.90, indicating a noteworthy increase in family attendance.
Notably, “The Volunteers: Battle of Life and Death” was responsible for nearly 40% of the holiday box office, while the top four films combined made up over 80% of total revenue. The distribution of box office contributions among leading films mirrored trends observed in 2023, 2018, and 2016.
In terms of city performance, Shanghai led the box office rankings with earnings of 102.365 million yuan, followed closely by Beijing and Guangzhou in second and third place, respectively.
