Chongqing — As winter cold settles over the southwestern city of Chongqing, cinemas are finding renewed warmth from a growing slate of classic film re-releases, which are drawing audiences back to theaters and adding depth to China’s year-end box office.

On Dec. 16, moviegoers gathered at MixC Cinema in Chongqing’s MixC Mall for the 10th-anniversary re-release of “Mountains May Depart,” directed by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke. First released in 2015, the film envisioned life in 2025 — a speculative future that has now arrived, prompting viewers to reflect anew.

New film releases for December are displayed on a screen at MixC Cinema in Chongqing. (Photo/Zhou Shuangshuang)

“When I first watched it, 2025 felt very far away,” said Fan Jin, a local resident attending the screening. “Coming back now feels like checking how much of that imagined future has become real.”

The screening came as part of a broader wave of restored and reissued films returning to theaters nationwide. Recent re-releases include Billy Wilder’s courtroom classic “Witness for the Prosecution” (1957), Stephen Chow’s comedy “Royal Tramp” (1992) in a 4K restoration, and “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale” (2011), now shown in its full-length version on the Chinese mainland. These titles are being programmed alongside new domestic releases such as “Gezhi Town,” reflecting the increasingly integrated role of re-releases in theatrical schedules.

According to data from Maoyan Pro, “Witness for the Prosecution” has earned more than 5 million yuan ($700,000) during its re-release, a notable result for a black-and-white film more than six decades old. “Mountains May Depart” has also posted steady box-office returns while fueling online discussion about time, technology, and emotional change.

Industry observers say the trend goes beyond nostalgia. “Re-releasing classic films is a mature market strategy,” said Ding Zhong, vice chairman of the Chongqing Film Association. He said such films offer experience-driven storytelling that short-form online content cannot replace, while helping diversify cinema offerings as China’s moviegoing audience ages.

With China’s annual box office surpassing 50 billion yuan ($6.9 billion) so far this year, classic re-releases are providing both stability and cultural weight to a film market still in recovery — underscoring the lasting appeal of well-told stories.