中国新年人们蜂拥看电影

The Spring Festival holiday ended on Friday. And it seems that this year the pastime of choice for many has been to head to the movies. Box office takings for the official seven day holiday are this year up by a whopping 86 percent on last year. Experts believe this is mainly because a key demographic has been well-targeted.

The Lantern Festival meets Valentine’s Day. This double-dose of love on Friday meant big business for movie theatres. Local comedy "Beijing Love Story" raked in 100 million yuan on this day alone.

The reboot of classic Chinese story "The Monkey King", along with the film version of hit reality TV show "Dad, Where are we going?" are both targeted to the lucrative family audience, with both films accounting for 80% of all ticket sales in the seven-day Spring Festival holiday. Total box office takings over the period amounted to an eyewatering 1.4 billion yuan.

“Many didn’t think much of "Dad, Where Are We Going?" But because it is suitable viewing for the whole family, it’s created a box office miracle,” film sales expert Chen Lizhi said.

"The Monkey King", a new adaptation of the story "Journey to the West", stars Donnie Yan in the title role. Yan says it’s a movie that everyone can find interest in.

"This is the first time that I would like to bring my kids to see a movie that I star in. It’s very suitable for kids. And I’m very proud and honoured to take part in this movie, using an international team to retell a story at the heart of Chinese culture, " Donnie Yan said.

Having only taken a month to shoot and produce, and on a shoestring budget, "Dad, Where Are We Going?" has already taken 500 million yuan at box office. Distributors hope that they can continue to lure fans of the hit reality TV show to the cinema for a bigger dose. So this season seems to be proving that it doesn’t take big bucks to please audiences hungry for family-friendly stories.