THE box office success of “Black Coal, Thin Ice” has raised cinemas’ confidence in art films.

    The Chinese production, which won the Golden Bear for best film at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival, has taken in 98.4 million yuan (US$16 million) since it hit domestic screens March 21.

    This is a rare box office success for an art movie in China, where usually only commercial movies draw large audiences.

    “If it had not won the prize, it would not have done half as well,” director Diao Yinan told Xinhua.

    The prize undoubtedly helped. “Black Coal, Thin Ice” cost about 14 million yuan to make, and another 20 million yuan was spent on publicity.

    It is difficult to estimate how big the art movie industry is in China because there is no absolute definition of the genre and box office numbers are a sore point for art film makers. Diao managed to combine both artistic and commercial values in his film from screenplay to production.

    “I refused to add commercial elements to my film at the very beginning when I was trying to find an investor, but then I realized that no matter how good the work itself was, it was meaningless if the film was never made,” Diao said.

    The film has been praised for bridging the gap between art house and multiplex elements.

    “It’s good to abandon dualistic thinking against commercial and art films and to find a balance that combines the two,” said Rao Shuguang, secretary general of the Chinese Film Association.

    “I hope my work is the most commercial of art films and the most artistic of commercial ones,” Diao said.

    “Black Coal, Thin Ice” has heartened cinemas and filmmakers. Following the hit, a string of art movies will be on screen this year, including “Coming Home” by Zhang Yimou, “The Golden Era” by Xu Anhua and “Daoshi Xiashan” by Chen Kaige.

    Chinese moviegoers want more than just the sensual pleasure brought by a “grand scene” or special effects. More viewers demand films including human nature, said Ma Shunfa of UME Letai Cinema in Shijiazhuang, Hebei.

    “We’d like to screen more art films,” Ma said, adding that the box office success of “Black Coal, Thin Ice” was very promising for art films.

    The domestic film market has matured in recent years. Figures show the total box office take in 2013 was nearly 22 billion yuan, 59 percent of which was from domestic films.

    “Despite the emergence of new genres, it takes a long time to cultivate a mature market with different demands,” said Rao, who believes that the Chinese film industry will have another decade of rapid development.(Xinhua)