Satisfaction in the National Day release increased slightly year-on-year. -Volunteers- Battle of Life and Death- won high scores

A recent satisfaction survey conducted during the 2024 National Day holiday shows that Chinese film audience satisfaction reached an impressive score of 83.3, up by 0.5 points from last year. Among the eight films evaluated, “The Volunteer Army: The Battle of Survival” led the pack with a standout score of 86.0. Other notable films, such as “Panda Project,” “Road of Flames,” and “Just This Green,” also earned satisfaction scores above 83, highlighting the variety and quality of films available this holiday season, which featured both seasoned and emerging directors and actors.

In assessing three key metrics during this release period—entertainment value, thematic depth, and communicative appeal—the films scored 83.2, 83.9, and 82.8, respectively. This reflects a modest increase of 0.3, 0.5, and 1.0 points compared to the same time in 2023. Notably, the thematic depth score ranked second among five observed release periods in 2024.

Director Chen Kaige’s “The Volunteer Army” series, specifically the second installment, received top scores across all three metrics, showcasing the heroism of the Iron Origin during the Korean War. Its strong themes of patriotism, family bonds, and camaraderie resonated deeply with audiences, resulting in a thematic depth score of 87.1—the highest in this year’s survey.

Comedies like “Panda Project” and dramas such as “Road of Flames” also performed well in entertainment value and thematic depth. The action-comedy “Panda Project” secured the second position for entertainment, while “Road of Flames,” which tackles pressing social issues, earned the second spot in thematic depth. In addition, “Just This Green,” a dance-poetry drama focusing on artistic themes, and the Hong Kong-style action flick “Crisis Line” made the top three for communicative appeal.

The survey results revealed that seven out of the eight key films received scores of 80 or above, with five of those exceeding 82 points. This marks a significant improvement compared to 2022 and 2023. Notably, the top-rated film, “The Volunteer Army: The Battle of Survival,” surpassed the second-place “Road of Flames” by 2.7 points, reflecting a clear satisfaction hierarchy this year.

This year’s satisfaction trend contrasts with last year’s, where the top three films had closer scores, with the biggest gap being just 0.4 points. The series has clearly improved, as “The Volunteer Army: The Battle of Survival” outperformed its predecessor, “The Volunteer Army: The Heroic Warriors,” by 2.2 points across all metrics. This marked success indicates that the sequel surpassed expectations, a rare achievement in film franchises.

The remaining four films with satisfaction ratings over 82 points offered a diverse array of genres. “Road of Flames” showed a significant improvement compared to director Wu Bai’s previous film. Meanwhile, “Panda Project,” featuring Jackie Chan’s signature action-comedy style, was well-received and compared favorably to the director’s earlier works.

The animated film “The Adventures of Big Head Son and His Little Head Dad 6: Mini Adventure” maintained a consistent style with previous installments, although its satisfaction rating dipped slightly compared to the last release during the 2022 National Day holiday. Another film, “Excellent Good Guy,” which explores everyday life, incorporated elements of social observation but received slightly lower ratings than the director’s earlier films.

Additionally, participants provided feedback on two other films—”Safe Access,” which was pulled mid-screening, and the imported animation “Transformers: Origins,” achieving satisfaction ratings of 81.2 and 81.7, respectively.

Audience feedback for the available options during the 2024 National Day period was overwhelmingly positive, with general viewer satisfaction regarding choice reported at 28.4% and 27.4% among professionals, both of which are notable increases from previous years.

The diverse range of content offered viewers a wealth of cinematic experiences, ensuring that audiences of all ages could find films that appealed to their tastes. Satisfaction ratings indicated that both the historical drama “The Volunteer Army: The Battle of Survival” and the contemporary film “Road of Flames” elicited significant emotional engagement. In contrast, the comedy “Panda Project” and animated features provided light-hearted enjoyment alongside aesthetic appreciation from films like “Just This Green.”

Interestingly, satisfaction levels among general and professional audiences held steady for both the top and bottom-rated films, particularly “The Volunteer Army: The Battle of Survival” and “Road of Flames.” However, a divergence appeared in the mid-tier satisfaction ratings, with films like “Panda Project” and “Crisis Line” favored by general audiences, while professionals preferred more artistic offerings like “Just This Green” and the animated sequel.

In summary, the recent statistics reveal a vibrant cinema landscape during the National Day holiday, with over 50.85 million viewers enjoying the film offerings. As the cultural landscape continues to evolve, filmmakers must engage with audiences, listen to their feedback, and draw inspiration from viewer preferences to craft compelling narratives that resonate with diverse demographics, ultimately enhancing and diversifying the film market.