MK sport Octopus with Broken Arms on display in a cinema in Shanghai on December 27, 2024 Photo: VCG " src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-01-20/317b4bd5-ada7-4b7a-b967-c89221a9481a.jpeg" />

New Year's Eve movie theater posters including Big World, Octopus with Broken Arms on display in a cinema in Shanghai on December 27, 2024 Photo: VCG

China's advanced ticket bookings for movies set to be released during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday have reached 200 million yuan (about 27.8 million U.S. dollars) as of Monday, marking a strong start for the world's second-largest film market this year.

The annual Spring Festival holiday is one of China's most lucrative movie-going seasons, running from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4 this year, one day longer than in previous years.

Five domestic films, including the highly anticipated "Ne Zha 2," the sequel to the 2019 animated blockbuster "Ne Zha," are topping the pre-sale list for the season, according to film data platform Beacon.