[Photo provided to China Daily]

The popularity of the film during the Spring Festival season also marks a change in the tastes of Chinese moviegoers.

On the film's opening day, Feb 16, only 11 percent of the country's screens showed the film, leaving more room for comedies. But, praise for the action film made cinema managers change their plans. And 32.5 percent of screens were allocated for the film on March 1, according to Maoyan.

Commenting on the changing trend, Gao Xiaoli, who writes for Wenyi Bao, a national literature and arts newspaper, says: "Watching films is common for people living in metropolises, but it is not usual in small cities."

But she says a new clientele can be developed in small towns when these big-city residents return to their hometowns during Spring Festival.

However, to do this, the film industry must change its mindset.

"So, if our big screens continue to be filled with poor productions only looking to make money during Spring Festival, as we often saw in the past, these new filmgoers will not be drawn to Chinese movies. And they may not return to cinemas for domestic productions."

So, Gao says, if more high-quality films like Operation Red Sea hit cinemas during the Spring Festival season, more viewers－especially from small towns－will flock to see Chinese films in the future.