Alibaba Pictures' roster of hits: "No More Bets", "Chang An" and "Lost in the Stars". Photo credit: Alibaba Group

Alibaba Pictures said its ticketing platform had amassed 20 million VIP members as people returned to cinemas and concerts in droves post-pandemic.

The entertainment company was behind two of the summer’s biggest hits, “Lost in the Stars” and “No More Bets”, and bolstered movie goers’ membership benefits.

China delivered $1.2 billion at the box office in July, 53% ahead of the country’s pre-pandemic average for the month, said Gower Street Analytics. That’s following the break-out showing during the Lunar New Year holidays.

Hong Kong-listed Alibaba Pictures generated nearly half of China’s total box office revenues between June 1 and Aug. 31 on its run of blockbusters.

In the weekend ending Aug. 13, “No More Bets” was the highest-grossing movie globally, said Comscore. In China, the film was a runaway success making RMB459 million ($63 million) between Aug. 14 and Aug. 17, per Beacon Professional.

China’s rebound is also part of a global revival. Cinemas everywhere were in the pink in July, helped by the “Barbenheimer” bandwagon. The international box office hit $4.54 billion in July, the single highest-grossing month since before the pandemic.

“The offline entertainment industry has entered a golden summer,” said Alibaba Pictures’ President, Li Jie, in a statement earlier this week.

Membership Perks

Alibaba Pictures’ membership scheme, called Taomai VIP, passed the milestone of 15 million VIP members on March 31, and then grew over 30% to cap 20 million this week.

The popcorn crowd flocked to see crime dramas “Lost in the Stars” and “No More Bets,” which Alibaba Pictures produced, distributed and promoted.

Chinese-language film “Lost in the Stars” follows a married couple on holiday. Tragedy strikes when the wife goes missing and the film follows the husband’s journey to uncover the mystery behind her disappearance. “Lost in the Stars” was the top performer at China’s box office between April and June.

Directed by Ao Shen, a gritty “No More Bets” tells the story of a Chinese programmer and a model who, enticed by the promise of high-paying jobs, find themselves trapped in a foreign country as prisoners of a scam mill.

The entertainment conglomerate also backed “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” and was a distributor of the Chinese animation film “Chang An”.

China’s box office receipts raked in RMB17 billion ($2.33 billion) for movies and RMB3.07 billion for performances between June 1 to Aug. 31, according to Beacon Professional’s data, Alibaba Pictures’ promotion and distribution business.

While China’s box office is still lagging 18% below the average for the last three pre-pandemic years, this year to date has already surpassed 2022’s total revenue.

Taomai VIP was launched two years ago by Alibaba Pictures’ 2C ticketing platform Tao Piao Piao and its online tickets for live events in China unit, Damai. Taomai VIP is a free membership program for customers buying tickets for movies and performances, such as music concerts, plays and sports events.

Taomai VIP has expanded its membership benefits to include buy-one-get-one-free offers, movie memorabilia and priority ticket purchases. Going forward, Taomai VIP is looking to deepen links with other companies within Alibaba’s orbit, such as Alipay, Youku, and Fliggy.

“These high-net-worth Taomai VIP members are not only the core consumer group of offline entertainment but also important supporters of the healthy development of China’s entertainment industry,” said Alibaba Pictures’ Li.

What’s been good for entertainment has also lifted Alibaba Pictures’ prospects. In the three months ended June 30, revenue from Alibaba Pictures’ movie and online platform business grew strongly year-over-year.