China's Box Office in 2025 Leads Global Charts, Establishes New Record
The total box office revenue in China for 2025, which includes real-time presales, has exceeded 10 billion yuan (nearly $1.4 billion), placing it at the top globally – marking a significant milestone for the film industry.
TroibNews 
China's total box office for 2025 has surpassed 10 billion yuan, including real-time presales, positioning it at the top of the global rankings – a significant milestone for the film industry.
As of noon on Tuesday, the country's box office revenue during the Spring Festival holiday has reached 9 billion yuan, marking a new record for the same period in the history of China's film industry, according to data from the China Film Administration.
Since January 29, when six holiday-themed films were released, the daily box office has exceeded 1 billion yuan for six consecutive days.
The films leading the box office chart cover a variety of genres such as mythology, comedy, and action, all being domestically produced, with the number of moviegoers also setting a new high.
Chinese cultural intellectual property is gaining significant attention.
This year's standout film is the animated fantasy "Ne Zha 2," a sequel to the 2019 blockbuster "Ne Zha." The movie has accumulated over 4.1 billion yuan since its release, entering the top 10 in China's all-time box office rankings.
Movie data platform Maoyan predicts that the total box office for "Ne Zha 2" will exceed 6.7 billion yuan, potentially placing it at the top of the all-time box office list in Chinese cinema history.
Directed by Yang Yu, also known as Jiaozi, the film centers around Ne Zha, a beloved young hero from Chinese folklore and literature, such as the classic "Journey to the West." Gifted with extraordinary powers, Ne Zha faces ostracism and fear from others. Marked by prophecy to bring destruction, he must navigate the choice between good and evil.
"A movie that touches your heart and tells the story really well. Chinese cinema is truly remarkable," commented a moviegoer in Baoding City, Hebei Province.
Half of this year's Chinese New Year films draw from traditional Chinese culture, aiming to create a narrative framework that highlights Chinese cultural traits, national spirit, and image, while demonstrating cultural confidence.
The second part of the blockbuster mythological trilogy, "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force," takes its inspiration from the Ming Dynasty novel "Fengshen Yanyi."
This trilogy explores the fall of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty around the 11th century B.C., depicting epic battles among mortals, deities, and demons.
In late January, the film was screened in Mandarin with English subtitles in over 180 theaters across more than 30 North American cities, as well as in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, offering a glimpse into Chinese mythology for international audiences.
For Chinese culture to gain global recognition, it heavily relies on the intrinsic quality of the work itself, including aspects such as scripts, stories, and characters, director Yang Yu emphasized. "These are the things that cannot be outsourced," he stated.
This holiday season, moviegoers have experienced an elevated audio-visual spectacle on the big screen. Among the six major films released during the Spring Festival, five are blockbusters featuring impressive special effects.
IMAX China set a new record with 88 million yuan in first-day earnings, surpassing its previous high from 2021.
Of the six films, five utilize four special effects formats: IMAX, CINITY, China Giant Screen, and Dolby Cinema.
"Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force" employs IMAX technology, while "Operation Leviathan" showcases more than 50 large-scale scenes set across oceans and land, utilizing innovative underwater shooting techniques and presenting advanced high-tech weapons and equipment.
According to Tom Ara, a global co-chair of the Media, Sport, and Entertainment sector at DLA Piper, the rising demand for immersive experiences like IMAX and cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence are key factors driving the success of the Chinese box office. "China's film industry is no longer just competing. It's innovating," he remarked.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
As of noon on Tuesday, the country's box office revenue during the Spring Festival holiday has reached 9 billion yuan, marking a new record for the same period in the history of China's film industry, according to data from the China Film Administration.
Since January 29, when six holiday-themed films were released, the daily box office has exceeded 1 billion yuan for six consecutive days.
The films leading the box office chart cover a variety of genres such as mythology, comedy, and action, all being domestically produced, with the number of moviegoers also setting a new high.
Chinese cultural intellectual property is gaining significant attention.
This year's standout film is the animated fantasy "Ne Zha 2," a sequel to the 2019 blockbuster "Ne Zha." The movie has accumulated over 4.1 billion yuan since its release, entering the top 10 in China's all-time box office rankings.
Movie data platform Maoyan predicts that the total box office for "Ne Zha 2" will exceed 6.7 billion yuan, potentially placing it at the top of the all-time box office list in Chinese cinema history.
Directed by Yang Yu, also known as Jiaozi, the film centers around Ne Zha, a beloved young hero from Chinese folklore and literature, such as the classic "Journey to the West." Gifted with extraordinary powers, Ne Zha faces ostracism and fear from others. Marked by prophecy to bring destruction, he must navigate the choice between good and evil.
"A movie that touches your heart and tells the story really well. Chinese cinema is truly remarkable," commented a moviegoer in Baoding City, Hebei Province.
Half of this year's Chinese New Year films draw from traditional Chinese culture, aiming to create a narrative framework that highlights Chinese cultural traits, national spirit, and image, while demonstrating cultural confidence.
The second part of the blockbuster mythological trilogy, "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force," takes its inspiration from the Ming Dynasty novel "Fengshen Yanyi."
This trilogy explores the fall of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty around the 11th century B.C., depicting epic battles among mortals, deities, and demons.
In late January, the film was screened in Mandarin with English subtitles in over 180 theaters across more than 30 North American cities, as well as in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, offering a glimpse into Chinese mythology for international audiences.
For Chinese culture to gain global recognition, it heavily relies on the intrinsic quality of the work itself, including aspects such as scripts, stories, and characters, director Yang Yu emphasized. "These are the things that cannot be outsourced," he stated.
This holiday season, moviegoers have experienced an elevated audio-visual spectacle on the big screen. Among the six major films released during the Spring Festival, five are blockbusters featuring impressive special effects.
IMAX China set a new record with 88 million yuan in first-day earnings, surpassing its previous high from 2021.
Of the six films, five utilize four special effects formats: IMAX, CINITY, China Giant Screen, and Dolby Cinema.
"Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force" employs IMAX technology, while "Operation Leviathan" showcases more than 50 large-scale scenes set across oceans and land, utilizing innovative underwater shooting techniques and presenting advanced high-tech weapons and equipment.
According to Tom Ara, a global co-chair of the Media, Sport, and Entertainment sector at DLA Piper, the rising demand for immersive experiences like IMAX and cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence are key factors driving the success of the Chinese box office. "China's film industry is no longer just competing. It's innovating," he remarked.
Debra A Smith for TROIB News
