Poster of Tiany Times.
An army of budding male stars have seduced young fans into China's cinema seats, rewriting box office records in the world's second-biggest film market.
Films featuring "xiaoxianrou," or "small fresh meat", a phrase referring to handsome men under 25, have seen consistent commercial success, raking in big bucks but receiving very little critical acclaim.
The "Tiny Times" trilogy, produced by author-turned-director Guo Jingming, grossed 1.3 billion yuan (213 mln U.S. dollars) in the past two years, outselling many Hollywood blockbusters.
The latest teen movie "The Left Ear" has raked in more than 470 million yuan since its release on April 24. It stars 23-year-old talent show idol Oho Ou, a prince charming for many young girls.
The rom-com "Miss Granny: Back to 20", led by heartthrob Lu Han, earned 360 million yuan in January. The initial investment for the film was about 20 million yuan.
"People love young, pretty faces, and film investors have commercialized such psychology," said Zhang Huijun, president of the Beijing Film Academy.
Zhang said other countries, including the United States, have experienced the same thing.
For Rao Shuguang, secretary general of the China Film Association, fresh meat fever reflects a demographic change in Chinese moviegoers.
With fast economic growth, more and more young people are willing to pay to go to the theater, and filmmakers have been quick to meet their demands, according to Rao.
An annual report on China's film market released by Entgroup showed people aged between 15 to 35 contributed 92 percent of China's 2014 box office total, which stood at 29.6 billion yuan.
Teenagers, especially young girls, are devout admirers of the "small fresh meat" film idols and are willing to pay good money for films, songs and public appearances, Zhang said.
According to the Movie Times website, there are at least three Chinese teen movies scheduled in the next two months, including the fourth installment of the "Tiny Times" franchise. They are expected to provoke more fervor.
Rao believes the phenomenon is helping the domestic film industry develop.
"Chinese filmmakers lag far behind their Hollywood counterparts in producing disaster and sci-fi blockbusters. Teen movies are a good choice for them to compete with Hollywood, as such films can strike a chord with local audiences," Rao said.
But he is worried about the lasting effects of the craze. Some of the films in this genre are crass, with poor editing and acting and cliched plots due to a lack of professional film talent and mature production teams, he said.
"The filmmakers must feel urgency to improve their professionalism in film making, and produce more films of good quality while seeking commercial profits," he said, adding young idols should also improve their acting and maintain their popularity by producing better work.
