Battling for box-office gold

Director Chen Sicheng reveals there will be more comedic scenarios in the new film. It will feature several landmark locations in Japan, including Akihabara and Shinjuku.

Figures from box-office tracker Maoyan show that Chinese cinema grossed over 59 billion yuan ($8.39 billion) from the start of January to late November.

Most industry insiders and observers expect the box-office haul in 2019 will surpass that of 2018, which stood at 61 billion yuan, given the large number of blockbusters due for release.

"I have witnessed the development of the Chinese film industry for more than a decade. I know many Chinese directors who are passionate about and devoted to cinema. The country will see an explosion in the number of excellent works, which will fuel the expansion of the industry over the next one or two decades on an unprecedented scale," says director Peter Chan at a forum during the Golden Rooster festival.

Chan's forthcoming sports film, Leap, about China's national women's volleyball team, is also one of the most anticipated blockbusters of the Spring Festival period. It'll open on Jan 25.