At the end of 2024, with less than 10 days remaining, the total annual box office revenue in the mainland Chinese film market reached 41.5 billion yuan (RMB) by December 21. The drastic decrease compared to the 54.9 billion in the same period of 2023 has left many astonished.
According to statistics from the film data platform “Maoyan,” a total of 493 domestic films were released in China in 2024. Among them, “Hot and Spicy” topped the annual box office charts with over 3.46 billion yuan. Only 67 films managed to break the billion mark, with the majority of domestically produced films experiencing disappointing results. The bottom ten films in terms of box office revenue were:
– “Dragon Escort” with 85 yuan
– “The Starry Dream of Me, the Art Student” with 90 yuan
– “Our Salute to 708090” with 100 yuan
– “Next Stop, Love” with 121 yuan
– “Journey of Youth” with 159 yuan
– “Dodo is a Dog” with 459 yuan
– “Iron Gate” with 531 yuan
– “Happy Ending” with 1045 yuan
– “The Night Bookstore” with 1151 yuan
– “The Billion Plan” with 1345 yuan
It can be observed that most of the lowest-grossing films in China this year were small-budget productions without stars, high costs, or promotion, often referred to as “three-no films.”
The most dismal film of the year, “Dragon Escort,” was released on December 20 and only earned 85 yuan on its first day before being pulled from theaters. This real-life depiction of a one-day show in cinemas certainly ended in a loss. The film, directed and written by Wang Shuanbao, tells the story of Zhou Yiyang from the Dragon Escort team, who uncovers a mysterious case while on a mission and also finds love. Although the film featured some known actors like villain actor Zhang Chunzhong and Xu Guangyu from the patriotic film “In the Name of the People,” the production cost alone was at least 10 million yuan.
Despite the star-studded casts of “Next Stop, Love” and “The Billion Plan,” they still made it to the yearly bottom list, surprising the industry players.
In particular, “Next Stop, Love,” which began filming in 2019 under the direction of an award-winning editor, intended to win awards and reach a box office of 2 billion yuan. It boasted a cast including Huang Shengyi, Zhu Yuchen, Cao Xiwen, and Yin Xiaotian and announced future appearances of famous actors like Zhou Dongyu, Zhang Yishan, Huo Siyan, and Nie Yuan.
Yet, after five years, three cancellations, and numerous reschedulings, the film finally hit screens with a box office of only 121 yuan. After deductions for theater fees and taxes, the production company earned a mere 41 yuan, resulting in a huge loss considering its estimated budget of 100 million yuan. Though not the lowest-grossing film of the year, it became not only the worst-performing new release during the summer period but also the biggest loss among the bottom ten films of the year.
Chinese media outlet “NetEase” commented on the film, stating, “Yes, you read that right, it’s 121 yuan, not thousand yuan. It’s downright embarrassing to earn only 121 yuan on the first day; how could a film possibly bring in just 121 yuan? As of now, the data shows that this film has only sold 2 tickets.”
The article continued, “Even with the popularity of the four leading actors, they could have at least sold dozens of tickets through family and friends. 121 yuan, 2 tickets, this number is just too awkward!”