BRIEF: China box office sags during Qing Ming holiday

China’s box office fell 19% over the long Qing Ming holiday, as a higher number of new films and more screenings compared with a year earlier failed to excite moviegoers in a slowing economy where consumers are increasingly cautious.

Chinese movies generated 305 million yuan ($44.4 million) in ticket sales over the three-day holiday from April 4 to April 6, as moviegoing attendance dropped 13.8% to 8 million, Caixin reported on Tuesday, citing data from the official China Movie Database. The number of screenings rose by 40,000 over the holiday, also known as the Tomb Sweeping Festival, as average ticket prices fell by 2 yuan, according to movie ticketing service Maoyan.

Thirteen new films made their debut over the weekend, four more than a year earlier. The top earning title was “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” which generated 63.2 million yuan, accounting for about a fifth of the holiday box office.

By Doug Young

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