As of January 29, a star-studded lineup of nine domestic movies has been confirmed for release nationwide during the Spring Festival holiday, which runs from February 10 to 17. Of the nine titles set for release, the most anticipated ones are Article 20, the latest work of Zhang Yimou, one of the country’s most renowned directors, and YOLO directed by Jia Ling, a famous Chinese comedian who made her directorial debut in 2021.

This year’s Spring Festival lineup also sees a return to the prominence of the comedy genre. The Spring Festival box office season started off in 2013 with the smashing success of Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons,a fantasy comedy directed by comedy icon Stephen Chow. In the following few years, comedy secured its place as the season’s signature genre.This tradition, however, has been broken in the past few years, which saw war epics dominate ticket sales.The comeback of comedy as a Spring Festival staple this year signals a change of taste among Chinese viewers, who see moviegoing as an occasion to bond with their families and are therefore leaning toward lighthearted comedies.

Yet the coming up box office season is not all roses. With the continuous integration of local commerce, tourism,dining, sports and leisure activities, China now boasts an increasingly diverse entertainment scene. Industry insiders are worried that people are losing interest in films. This evermore fierce competition,however, can also serve as a catalyst to push filmmakers out of their comfort zones.