Domestic films dominate New Year season

From December to the Spring Festival is the so-called "new year season". And it's the most important period for Chinese films. With smash hits screening one after another, film-goers are not likely to be disappointed.

Comedies are dominating the New Year season.

Low-budget buddy movie "Lost in Thailand" is about two rival businessmen on a road trip in Thailand. It has raked in over 160 million dollars so far, a record for a domestic film. The smash hit is expected to remain in theaters until mid-January.

Audience said, "It's a lot of fun to watch. I felt so relaxed throughout the film. I even picked up some catchphrases."

Another New Year film took on a more serious topic -- famine. "Back to 1942," by Feng Xiaogang, one of China's most successful directors, focuses on the drought in that year that killed 3 million people in Henan Province and left millions as refugees.

Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai's first kung-fu film "The Grandmasters" has also hit screens across the country. The film starring Zhang Ziyi and Tony Leung follows the inspiring story of noted Chinese kung fu master Yip Man, who settled disputes in martial arts circles and created his own kung fu school.

There are a lot more other choices, including Jackie Chan's "Chinese Zodiac 12", the historical drama "The Last Supper", and "The Last Tycoon".

In January, two Hollywood blockbusters, "Skyfall" and the "Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey", will be released in China.

It seems there's no slowing the Chinese movie industry's rapid growth. In 2012, box office receipts in the world's most populous country surged to nearly 3 billion dollars.