Cover News Reporter Zhou Qin
In 2023, Chinese films will return to prosperity. According to data released by the National Film Administration of China on January 1, 2024, the total box office of films in China in 2023 will be 54.915 billion yuan, of which 46.005 billion yuan will be domestic films, accounting for 83.77%, and 1.299 billion moviegoers will be in urban theaters.
Behind the high box office, Chinese film themes are becoming more and more diverse, both realistic and artistically creative, and film creators are gradually finding the direction of development of the Chinese film market. Among them, "The Wandering Earth 2" benchmarks the top international standards in production, realizes the "iteration" of Chinese science fiction films, brings a shocking visual experience to the audience, and achieves a bumper harvest at the box office. "I choose hope", this is the title of "The Wandering Earth", and it is also a spiritual portrayal of Chinese cultural self-confidence.
At the end of 2023, the "2023 Hall of Fame Annual Humanities List" series of activities was officially launched, initiated by Cover News and West China Metropolis Daily. At the same time, at the beginning of 2024, the "Movie List" list is based on the data of the cover news client, and comprehensively integrates the movie box office, the popularity of the whole network, and the reputation of the movie, etc., and finally launches the "2023 Hall of Fame Annual Humanities List" movie list, and "The Wandering Earth 2" tops the list.
"The Wandering Earth 2" poster according to the filmmaker
Domestic films lead the way
The excellent traditional Chinese culture shines
In 2023, there will be 73 films with a box office of more than 100 million yuan, of which 50 are Chinese-made films, and the top 10 at the box office are all domestic films. "Man Jianghong" led the box office with 4.544 billion yuan, followed by "The Wandering Earth 2" and "All or Nothing".
Whether it is in terms of box office or word-of-mouth, domestic movies in 2023 are pleasantly surprised. The construction of the film industry has been accelerated, and the quality of creation of science fiction, animation, mythological epics and other genres has been improved. The surprises brought to the audience by films such as "The Wandering Earth 2", "Thirty Thousand Miles of Chang'an", "Fengshen Part I: Chao Song Fengyun", "Cosmic Exploration Editorial Department" and other films, as well as the audience's reputation, are the best explanations.
The prosperity of domestic films is also a vivid footnote to insisting on cultural self-confidence. "The Wandering Earth" was released during the Spring Festival in 2019 and ranked 137th at the global box office with $700 million, also known as the first year of Chinese science fiction films. After 4 years, "The Wandering Earth 2" not only shows strong audio-visual effects, top technology, and cool special effects, but also throws a major philosophical proposition to mankind, that is, the relationship between humans and technology. What's more, whether it is inside or outside the movie, "unity" is becoming a human consensus.
"Thirty Thousand Miles of Chang'an" poster according to the film
"Thirty Thousand Miles of Chang'an" tells the legendary story of his lifelong friendship with Li Bai and the pursuit of ideals by the stars of the Tang Dynasty from the perspective of Gao Shi, showing a brilliant picture of the Tang Dynasty. The "implantation" of 48 Tang poems and the appearance of dozens of historical celebrities gave the audience an immersive baptism of traditional culture. When the movie is hot, the scene of children reciting Tang poems in the cinema has become a rare cultural spectacle.
"I Love Dunhuang" poster according to the film
In addition, the film "I Love Dunhuang" produced by Eying No. 1 is adapted from the true deeds of Fan Jinshi, bringing the Mogao Grottoes, a treasure of world cultural heritage, to the big screen, realizing the "breaking circle" communication and driving cultural tourism consumption with film consumption.
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Realistic themes ignite fans' enthusiasm for watching movies
In 2023, the supply of major schedules will be abundant, and the Spring Festival and summer schedules will perform well throughout the year. In 2023, the Spring Festival stalls will produce a box office of 6.758 billion yuan in 7 days, ranking second in history, and the Spring Festival stalls will contribute 12.3% of the annual box office. Under the popularity of films such as "Fengshen Part 1: Chao Song Fengyun", "Thirty Thousand Miles of Chang'an" and "All or Nothing", the summer file contributed nearly forty percent of the box office throughout the year, and the proportion of the box office was higher than that of the previous four years, achieving "the strongest summer file in history".
The poster of "Fengshen Part 1" is based on the film
From the perspective of subject matter, the films released in 2023 have a rich variety of themes, including sci-fi, suspense, action, comedy, animation, youth, love, fantasy and other types of Chinese and foreign films, which meet the diverse viewing needs of the audience. Among them, a large number of realistic themes rooted in reality and in-depth life ignited the audience's enthusiasm for watching movies, and "All or Nothing", which was released in the summer, became a "dark horse". In the film, the terrifying inside story of overseas Internet fraud and the shocking details of the methods make the audience shout "The scalp is numb, and the stamina is great".
In addition, "Solid as a Rock" directed by Zhang Yimou involves the theme of "anti-corruption", which is sobering after watching it. The popular "Three Teams" is also based on a real case, and the group portrait of the "Three Teams" heroes portrayed in the film has won praise from the audience and has become a film with a good reputation in the near future.
In addition, the IP series of films still shows strong box office appeal. Among the top 10 imported films in 2023, IP films such as "Fast and Furious 10", "Slam Dunk" and "Spider-Man: Across the Universe" have a natural "eye-catching" effect.
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The narrative of the film is in line with social ideology
Looking at the films released in 2023, films that have both a "sense of presence" at the box office and a topic also present the following keywords: self-examination, social relations, and environmental settings. They correspond to the reflection, concern and expectation of the public at the psychological level.
According to the "2023 China Film Market Data Insights" released by the Maoyan Research Institute, the keywords of "self-examination" include "new femininity", "midfield of life" and "crazy replacement". People are more likely to pay attention to their gender situation, age situation, mental health situation and moral situation. In 2023, people are making their presence clear by looking inward. Among them, "The Mistake by the River" and "Wading through the Sea of Anger" are all representatives of film and television works that "go crazy" and explore inward.
"Oppenheimer" poster according to the filmmaker
In addition, among the imported films, Nolan's biographical film "Oppenheimer", which tells the story of Robert Oppenheimer, the "father of the atomic bomb" in the United States, who led the development of the atomic bomb during World War II, and the story of his unfair hearings after the end of World War II. The film shows Oppenheimer's wisdom, innocence, vulnerability, and courage, and also gives many viewers the thinking and nutrients to heal themselves in the process of watching other people's lives.
In terms of "environmental setting", suspense ushered in an explosion this year, and in addition to traditional narratives, people prefer to see possibilities outside routines: the destruction of daily rules, the retelling of traditional culture, and the escape of modern civilization. The audience enjoys discovering universal emotional resonance points in the abnormal story setting. "Disappearing Her" has become one of the most watched suspense movies this summer with multiple reversals and insights into women's topics.
From December 30, 2023 to January 1, 2024, the box office of New Year's Day movies will reach 1.533 billion yuan, creating a new box office record for New Year's Day, and the audience's enthusiasm for watching movies is expected to continue to the Spring Festival. At present, films such as "Bear Infested: Reversing Time and Space" and "Mr. Red Carpet" have been set for the Spring Festival, and other films such as "Flying Life 2" and "Legend" have been finalized one after another, which is worth looking forward to.