Xu Wenrong, 85, founder of Hengdian World Studios. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Film shoots were suspended for several months in Hengdian due to the COVID-19 outbreak. With the epidemic waning, however, film and teleplay crews have been rushing back to resume production.

According to statistics from Hengdian World Studios, October saw 47 film and teleplay crews filming and 65 making preparations, a year-on-year increase of 67 percent and 41 percent, respectively.

Zhu Guoqiang, an official with the administration committee of Hengdian World Studios, said there are currently about 6,000 extras registered with the actors' guild at the studios, an increase of 10 percent over previous years.

The actors' guild will provide around 444,000 extras for film shoots in 2020, compared with 419,000 last year, Zhu says.

"This year has also seen significant growth of modern TV series and cinema film shoots, leading to a recovery of the industry," says Zhao Yongqing, general manager of Zhejiang Dongyang Hengdian Movie Center Management Service Co.

"Now, all of the 20 high-standard studios for modern TV series are booked out and the demand for the reservation of normal studios is also high," Zhao adds.

Besides the boom in film and teleplay production, the recent strong performance of cinemas has also sent a positive signal to the reviving industry.

During the National Day holiday in early October, China's cinema box office recovered to more than 80 percent of its performance during the same period last year, with nearly 93 million moviegoers.

Cai Jingwen and Xinhua contributed to this story.