Director Guan Hu (front) with the cast and production team of Ba Bai. [Photo provided to China Daily]

He attributes the change to the Chinese movie industry's rapid development, which took off from an annual output less than 100 features in 2001 to more than 770 in 2016.

He also says the popularity of such movies as The Founding of an Army and Wolf Warrior 2, a Special Force-themed tale that is now the highest-grossing movie in China of all time, proves Chinese moviegoers welcome stories of patriotism and heroism.

Zuo Heng, a researcher with China Film Art Research Center, says Hong Kong filmmakers have more experience than their mainland counterparts in making such movies more interesting.

Besides, the content in such movies is also seeing an expansion.

Jiang Yong, a Beijing-based industry watcher, gives the instances of two new movies of this year－martial arts star Zhao Wenzhuo's God of War, and veteran actor Liu Peiqi's The War of Loong.

God of War chronicles 16th-century general Qi Jiguang's battles against Japanese pirates, while The War of Loong recounts the Chinese general Feng Zicai's fight against French forces during the Sino-French War in 1885.

"The heroes are no longer just Communist Party members. The timing has been expanded as well. The change is a good indication of progress in the Chinese movie industry," he says.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn