Spring Festival movies chart new, inspiring cultural trends

At the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, the 2024 Spring Festival film season has unexpectedly set some records after seeming devoid of blockbusters.

To begin with, the box office revenue during Spring Festival surpassed 8 billion yuan ($1.11 billion). This year's success story is different from those of previous years which were marked by grand-theme, big-budget spectacles such as The Battle at Lake Changjin II in 2022 and The Wandering Earth II in 2023. Instead, this Spring Festival season saw medium-budget films with contemporary realistic themes dominating the market.

Jia Ling's YOLO, riding on the success of Hi, Mom during the 2021 Spring Festival season, captivated audiences, especially young and middle-aged women, with its mature comedy and resonant theme of self-discovery through weight loss. The film started attracting widespread attention even before being released thanks to robust social media discussions about it.