Love stories have become a hit genre on the big screen during the annual golden period.

Statistics from domestic movie research websites show that about one-third of the more than 70 movies that will be screened during this holiday season are romantic productions.

The annual period surrounding Christmas, New Year and Spring Festival is regarded as the best time for moviemakers to earn big money at the box office.

One movie targeting young moviegoers this holiday season is Love on the Clouds, which premiered on Wednesday, or Christmas Eve.

The feature-length comedy, directed by Oscar nominee for best cinematography Gu Changwei, follows a metropolitan screenwriter (Chen He) who uses WeChat to make friends and falls in love with a model (Angelababy), who initially just uses the social networking app to search for one-night stands.

The movie is Gu's first commercial comedy in his 30-year cinema career.

The 57-year-old filmmaker known for his art-house movies, such as Berlin Silver Bear winner Peacock (2005), hopes the comedy will give hope to people struggling with life in a big city.

"Every person in the movie is chasing his dream and struggling for a better life. Though it's a comedy, I hope audiences will cry during some of the touching scenes," Gu says.

Women Who Flirt, a film adaptation of a Taiwan best-seller about flirting skills, has already grossed more than 200 million yuan ($32.3 million) since it was released on the mainland three weeks ago.

The comedy, directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Pang Ho-cheung, features a woman who wants to be more desirable to win back the man she has loved for a long time.

Miss Granny, a Chinese remake of the hit South Korean romance, is expected to be the next romantic blockbuster at cinemas when it's released in January.

The story revolves around a 70-year-old woman who is magically transformed into her 20-year-old self. The granny, with her new body, is given a second chance to chase her dream of becoming a music star and is pursued by three handsome men.

Somewhere Only We Know, directed by Xu Jinglei, will be released on Valentine's Day, and is also expected to perform well.

The movie, set in Prague, tells the story of a young woman who flees to Europe to escape the sadness of a breakup and the death of her grandmother. The heartbroken woman finds true love with a Chinese violoncellist in the capital of the Czech Republic.

"Love is eternal. The pure love theme, which surpasses the bonds of class, material and ethnicities, may be not believed in this rapidly changing era. However, audiences will buy love stories presented in humorous ways, such as Women Who Flirt," says Zhou Tiedong, a veteran movie researcher.

(China Daily 12/25/2014 page19)