CHINA’S New Year season comes a little bit earlier this year. With the screening of “Crossed Lines” on Nov. 28, a series of films will vie with each other from now until the Spring Festival in February.

The first encounter for most mainland audiences familiar with the word “New Year film” may be traced back to 1995, when Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan’s “Rumble in the Bronx” was screened on the Chinese mainland.

At that time, New Year films only referred to comedies specifically made for showing during the New Year period. There are usually many movies, TV and singers appearing in this particular film genre. In some Hong Kong movies, the characters on the screen sometimes turn and greet audiences for the New Year.

Jackie Chan tapped the mainland screen again with “Police Story 4: First Strike” in 1996 and “Super Chef” in 1997 after gaining 80-million-yuan (US$10.53 million) box-office revenue from “Rumble in the Bronx.” It was not until the end of 1997 that the first mainland New Year film — “Dream Factory” directed by Feng Xiaogang — appeared.

In the next few years, there were dozens of New Year films on mainland screens every year.

Comedies no longer dominate the special season, with an increasing number of blockbusters labelled New Year films, striving for a share of the market. A New Year film has become a title which every filmmaker can use as long as the film is scheduled for holiday period. And, most importantly, it is a title that can help films rake in more box-office revenue.

(Cao Zhen)