CHINA’S box office for the 2025 Chinese New Year holiday surpassed 9.2 billion yuan (US$127 million) as of 4 p.m. yesterday, setting a new record. This milestone also brought China’s cumulative box office in 2025 so far to 11 billion yuan, surpassing North America to rank first globally. According to real-time data from Maoyan, China’s online ticketing platform, the total box office (including pre-sales) for the 2025 Spring Festival season (Jan. 28 to Feb. 4) has reached 9.2 billion yuan. Enlight Pictures’ animated sequel “Nezha 2,” directed by Yu Yang, has accumulated 4.66 billion yuan in box office revenue and led the pack. The film, with over 1,900 special effects shots out of its 2,400 scenes, comes with a production cost of 500 million yuan. Reimagining Chinese mythology and telling a story of defiant underdog standing up to the evil authority, this visually dazzling film is on track to overtake the war film “The Battle at Lake Changjin” (US$913 million) as China’s biggest blockbuster of all time. The lessons on friendship and the bonding love between family members, sprinkled with comedic moments, position the movie as a premier selection for families attending the cinema together. Wanda Pictures’ comedy-mystery franchise installment “Detective Chinatown 1900,” co-directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo, ranked second with 2.21 billion yuan, while “Creation of the Gods 2” took third place with 980 million yuan. Other notable films, such as “Boonie Bears: Future Reborn” — an annual staple at Chinese cinemas during the holiday corridor, “Operation Mekong Dragon,” and “The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero,” have also performed strongly. The Spring Festival season has emerged as one of the most lucrative periods for the Chinese film market. Data revealed that while the Spring Festival box office made up just 4% of the yearly total in 2014, this percentage surged to 18.8% last year. With a 22.66% year-on-year dip in overall box office earnings and a noticeable decrease in cinema attendance in 2024, the industry has increasingly leaned on the Spring Festival season. Chinese viewers have grown more discerning and pragmatic, often holding off on ticket purchases until positive word-of-mouth reviews confirm a film’s worthiness for viewing. For instance, “Nezha 2” experienced a rapid surge in box office returns following favorable word-of-mouth feedback upon its release. In contrast, veteran director Hark Tsui’s “The Legend of the Condor Heroes” underperformed due to lukewarm reviews.(Li Dan) | 