China's Qingming holiday box office hits record high
China's box office revenue during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday that concluded on Saturday reached a record 841.64 million yuan (about 118.63 million U.S. dollars), with Hayao Miyazaki's acclaimed animated fantasy emerging as the top-grossing film.
This figure surpassed the previous highest earning of 822 million yuan recorded in 2021, according to film data platform Beacon.
Miyazaki's Oscar-winning film, "The Boy and the Heron," led the holiday revenue chart with a revenue of 390.25 million yuan, accounting for 46.4 percent of the total earnings.
"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" and the animated film "Kung Fu Panda 4" secured the second and third spots with earnings of approximately 237 million yuan and 48.3 million yuan, respectively.
They were followed by domestic crime thrillers "Dwelling by the West Lake" and "The Victims."
The Qingming Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday that falls on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox. While it is a time to enjoy the greenery of springtime and to visit the graves of ancestors, the holiday has also become a busy period for cultural and tourism activities in China, including visits to the cinema.