Analysis
BEIJING/SHANGHAI – Blockbusters are doing more than leading the holiday box office at the beginning of the Year of the Horse in China – they are reshaping holiday travel patterns, fueling a nationwide boom in movie-inspired tourism.
According to online ticketing platforms, the total Spring Festival box office revenue (including pre-sales) had surpassed 4 billion yuan by Saturday, with the racing-comedy “Pegasus 3” topping the charts.
Notably, the momentum of “Pegasus 3” extends well beyond cinemas. Data from travel platform Qunar showed that hotel bookings in Garze, Sichuan Province – one of the film’s primary shooting locations – surged 40 percent compared to last year’s Spring Festival holiday, while bookings in another shooting site, Delingha, Qinghai Province, jumped 71 percent.
“As soon as I finished watching ‘Pegasus 3,’ I rushed to plan a family spring trip to Garze to check in the racetrack featured in the film,” said Shanghai car enthusiast Xia Lin. She has been a devoted fan since the “Pegasus” franchise was launched in 2019.
The film has also sparked a new wave of themed city tours in Shanghai, where the metro line, bridge, park and city landmarks appearing in the film have become fan-favorite check-in (photo opportunity) spots.
“During this year’s Spring Festival season, the driving effect of films on culture and tourism has come earlier than usual,” said Yang Han, a researcher at Qunar’s Big Data Research Institute.
Thanks to the popularity of the previous two installments, fans of the “Pegasus” franchise have held high expectations for its storyline and visuals. A considerable number of them planned their trips before the release of the latest installment, he said.
The comic-adapted film “Blades of the Guardians,” directed by renowned action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping and featuring martial arts stars Jet Li and Wu Jing, has also sparked strong interest in the dramatic but less-traveled desert landscapes of northwest China’s Xinjiang. Data from Qunar showed that searches for desert sightseeing and desert highway tours climbed 60 percent ahead of the film’s release.
Beyond the appeal of creativity in the film industry, the convergence of film and tourism during this Spring Festival holiday appears more systematic and policy-driven.
The China Film Administration has launched a series of initiatives in 2026, including campaigns such as “Travel with Films,” “Taste Cuisine with Films,” and “Shopping with Films.” Local governments also responded with consumption vouchers, themed routes and cross-sector promotions.
In Guangdong Province, the release of prominent director Zhang Yimou’s spy thriller “Scare Out” has catalyzed a province-wide travel-with-films campaign. The province unveiled 60 film-themed travel routes spanning 21 cities, integrating screenings with dining, retail and cultural promotions.
In Shanghai’s Hongkou District, 11 cinemas partnered with dozens of commercial and cultural venues to create immersive “New Year in the Movies” experiences, offering ticket-stub discounts and interactive installations. In Sichuan, movie consumption vouchers worth more than 4 million yuan were distributed from Feb. 8 to 19, combining film discounts with dining and tourism subsidies.
Experts noted that this “film+” model reflects a maturation of China’s holiday consumption structure. Spring Festival moviegoing -- once primarily entertainment -- has evolved into a ritualized cultural activity intertwined with family reunions and experiential travel.
“A film’s value lies not only in its box office performance, but also in the ripple effects it generates across tourism, catering and other sectors,” said Hou Keming, a professor at the Beijing Film Academy. “The economic and cultural impact now extends far beyond the screen.”
– Xinhua, MPD
