ISLAMABAD (PEN) : China’s Spring Festival box office is seeing significant gains with cinema-goers breaking previous records for the Chinese film industry, according to box office data tracker Dengta.
The total domestic box office revenue for the 2025 Spring Festival season including ticket pre-sales surged to 808 million yuan ($111.3 million) as of Monday, with Chinese films dominating. All of the top six are set for release on January 29, the first day of Chinese New Year.
A series of promotional posters for film releases during the Spring Festival period, January 27, 2025. /VCG
Topping the list, “Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero” has already achieved box office revenues of 280 million yuan as of Monday. A retelling of historic events based on the novel of the same name by renowned Chinese martial art novelist Louis Cha Leung-yung (1924-2018).
Animated films are also witnessing a surge in demand, as Chinese animation “Ne Zha 2” claimed the number two spot by already grossing 135 million yuan. Set for release on January 29 and centred on stories inspired by the 16th century novel “Investiture of the Gods”, it’s directed by Yu Yang and picks up from the first film which released in 2019 to both box office and critical acclaim.
Cinemas are capitalizing on this, with online ticket retailers furthering consumption through promotional campaigns. The China Film Administration also launched a consumption promotion campaign, offering subsidies totaling 600 million yuan to the public through the end of February.
