China's Lunar New Year Box Office rakes in record $1.2 Billion

Despite a global pandemic, the Chinese Box Office saw a boom in ticket sales over the Lunar New Year holiday, bringing in a record $1.2 billion, reported Variety.

The feat marks the first time in Chinese box office history that single-day box office earnings have exceeded $155 million for five consecutive days. This also means that the Chinese box office managed to rake in a tenth of the global 2020 box office in six days.

Three films have dominated the box office: Detective Chinatown 3, which has brought in $550 million, Hi, Mom, earning $422 million, and A Writer’s Odyssey, which made $83.7 million. The numbers were released by Alibaba’s Beacon data tracker, reported Variety.

Beijing News expressed elation at the feat, writing that the figures “indicate not only that the industry is warming up again, but also that with the effective prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, China’s box office this year could reach new highs.”