Actor Du Jiang (second from left) lends his voice to the titular role of Paddington in Peru. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

As the New Year approaches, a slate of films is gearing up to compete at the box office for the lucrative festival season.

China Movie Channel, the country's largest broadcaster specializing in showing films, hosted a themed event on Wednesday to promote the most anticipated new movies and recent blockbusters gaining popularity in domestic theaters.

One of the most highlighted projects is Octopus with Broken Arms, the third installment of renowned filmmaker Chen Sicheng's loosely connected Manslaughter franchise, with the first movie Sheep Without a Shepherd released in 2019 and the sequel Fireflies in the Sun in 2021.

Cui Zhijia, the director-scriptwriter-actor of Hot Pot Artist, attends the China Movie Channel's promotional event in Beijing on Wednesday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Despite each film telling a stand-alone story, Octopus with Broken Arms features actor Xiao Yang reprising his role as a desperate father who embarks on a perilous journey to rescue his abducted 8-year-old daughter. The film, premiering Saturday, also stars actress Tong Liya and actor Duan Yihong.

The new release lineup also includes the comedy Out of Order, adapted from English playwright Ray Cooney's 1990 eponymous farce, the live-action animated film Paddington in Peru, and Hot Pot Artist, a story that recounts a down-and-out director's unexpected shift to join a cuisine competition. The three films will be released on Dec 31, Jan 1 and 3, respectively.

According to the event's organizers, more than 60 films were already released or are scheduled for screening during the New Year and Spring Festival holidays.