China's box office revenue for the week-long Spring Festival holiday that ended on Friday exceeded 6.75 billion yuan (about one billion U.S. dollars), up 11.89 percent year on year, according to the China Film Administration on Saturday.

Data also showed that about 129 million people went to cinemas during the holiday, up 13.16 percent on a yearly basis, which means the once-sluggish film market is getting back on its feet following the country's downgrading of COVID-19 management.

A new round of consumption vouchers issued by local governments across China helped boost the recovery of the film market.

A wide variety of genres of six films released for the holiday was another positive factor for the booming film sector, which can meet the needs of diverse audience.

Topping the holiday box office chart was the twist-filled "Full River Red," Zhang Yimou's first foray into the "suspense plus comedy" genre. The ending of the movie moved many to tears, with thousands of soldiers reciting prose by patriotic Song Dynasty (960-1279) general Yue Fei in concert. The historical drama raked in 2.6 billion yuan.

It was immediately followed by Guo Fan's "The Wandering Earth II," a sequel to the 2019 sci-fi blockbuster "The Wandering Earth," which pulled in 2.16 billion yuan.

The third place on the chart went to animated film "Boonie Bears: Guardian Code," the newest installment of one of the longest-running movie franchises in China. It grossed 748 million yuan.

The other films are Cheng Er's spy actioner "Hidden Blade" which stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai; "Deep Sea," an animated fantasy from Tian Xiaopeng, the helmsman of "Monkey King: Hero is Back"; "Five Hundred Miles," a comedy starring Zhang Xiaofei, a comedienne best known for her part in the 2021 dark horse "Hi, Mom."

East China's Jiangsu Province had one of the highest holiday film ticket sales and the largest number of filmgoers among Chinese provincial-level regions, with the attendance rate of popular films reaching more than 80 percent during the prime time.

"My mother and I went to see 'Full River Red'. I find the showroom was quite crowded, and the viewers were almost full," said a filmgoer surnamed Zhou.

"Our theaters operate at full capacity as about 50 showings are arranged per day with a turnout of 3,000 to 4,000 filmgoers," said Song Feng, deputy general manager of a cinema in Nantong City.

In Beijing, the box office earnings exceeded 200 million yuan in the first six days of the Spring Festival holiday, a year-on-year increase of 4.93 percent. The number of filmgoers reached more than 3 million, up 10.84 percent on a yearly basis.