Photo: VCG

As a key movie season that bridges the gap between the Spring Festival and the summer box office, the May Day holiday period has always drawn major attention from the film industry. During the upcoming five-day May Day holiday (May 1-5) in 2025, 13 films are scheduled to hit theaters, four more than 2024. 

Data from the China Film Administration shows that during the 2024 May Day holiday, the national box office reached 1.527 billion yuan ($209.53 million). The top three films during the period - action thriller Formed Police Unit, comedy The Last Frenzy, and crime thriller Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In - were all domestic films.

This holiday period, there will be a strong supply of both commercial blockbusters and films based on real-life stories, offering audiences a wide variety of choices. 

As of Monday, the top three films leading pre-sales are all domestic productions: biographical film The Dumpling Queen, crime thriller A Gilded Game starring Andy Lau, and comedy The Open Door. 

Topping the pre-sales chart, The Dumpling Queen, directed by Andrew Lau Wai-keung, filmmaker of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was inspired by the true story of Zang Jianhe, founder of the well-known frozen food brand Wanchai Ferry. The film stars actress Ma Li as Zang and follows her remarkable journey, from a single mother selling dumplings on the streets of Hong Kong to a business pioneer whose ready-to-cook products are now sold around the world.

"Resonating with the audience has indeed been a major trend behind the box-office success of films released during key periods in China in recent years," Shi Wenxue, a veteran cultural critic based in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday. 

Shi raised Hi, Mom, Johnny Keep Walking!, Lighting up the Stars and Successor, as examples. "All these films won audience acclaim and achieved strong box-office performance by creating deep emotional connections," Shi said.

With its real-life foundation and emotional storytelling, The Dumpling Queen is expected to strongly resonate with viewers. Additionally, Shi pointed out that the film marks Ma's first leading role in a non-comedy film, raising strong expectations among audiences.

Xiang Kai, a playwright and director, told the Global Times that comedy is likely to become the audience's top choice during the holiday. This trend is already reflected in pre-sale figures, with The Open Door ranking among the top three films.

"Especially for ordinary moviegoers, many simply want to relax and unwind during the holiday. This highlights why comedy films are likely to take the lead at the box office during this year's May Day period."

In the past two years, comedy films have emerged as box-office dark horses during the May Day holiday. The Last Frenzy and Godspeed are cases in point. In addition to The Open Door directed by Yi Xiaoxing and starring Chang Yuan, the season will also see road-trip comedy I Grass, I Love, featuring Zeng Yi from the Chinese pop duo Phoenix Legend. It marks his first venture into comedy film.

Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2, the highest-grossing animated film of all time, has been extended for a third time and will now remain theaters until May 31. While Xiang said that the box office of the film may not grow significantly during the holiday, Xiang and Shi both acknowledged the film's huge impact on China's film industry.

"Ultimately, what determines whether a film stands out during this highly competitive holiday is its word-of-mouth reputation. Especially this year, after audiences have been 'nurtured' by the success of Ne Zha 2, their expectations for quality films have become even higher," commented Shi.