Audiences buy popcorn and drinks at a cinema in Chongqing, China, July 30, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - China's box office revenue during this year's Spring Festival holiday has exceeded 7.84 billion yuan (about $1.1 billion) as of 1:50 pm Saturday, setting a new record for the period, statistics showed.

Three domestic productions, namely YOLO, Pegasus 2 and Boonie Bears: Time Twist, all released on the first day of the holiday, maintained their positions at the top of the chart, according to box office tracker Dengta Data.

The animated film "Boonie Bears: Time Twist" claimed the third spot, with an accumulated revenue of nearly 1.39 billion yuan during the holiday

Telling the story of an unemployed woman in her thirties who still lives with her parents until one day, she meets a boxing coach, who just may change her life, the comedy film YOLO raked in more than 2.68 billion yuan in revenue as of Saturday afternoon.

READ MORE: China's 2023 box office earnings exceed 54.91b yuan

Domestic comedy-drama Pegasus 2 came in second, pocketing about 2.36 billion yuan as of Saturday afternoon. The animated film Boonie Bears: Time Twist claimed the third spot, with an accumulated revenue of nearly 1.39 billion yuan during the holiday.

The Spring Festival is a lucrative movie season in China as movie-going has become an increasingly prominent pastime for Chinese people during this holiday.