China’s box office revenue jumped nearly 22 per cent in 2025, driven by a record-breaking domestic animated hit that helped the market rebound from a soft patch.
Total ticket sales reached 51.8 billion yuan (US$7.4 billion), the second-highest level in five years, according to data released by the China Film Administration on Thursday. While surpassing 2024’s haul, last year’s total trailed the 54.92 billion yuan recorded in 2023.
Local films continued to dominate the world’s second-largest movie market, accounting for 79.67 per cent of total takings – about a percentage point higher than a year earlier. Of the 51 films grossing more than 100 million yuan, 33 were domestic titles.
The film, about a mythological Chinese hero, grossed nearly US$2.20 billion globally, ranking fifth all-time, with 97 per cent of revenue coming from mainland China, according to box-office tracker Dengta Data. Dengta said the movie brought back large numbers of moviegoers who had not visited cinemas since 2018 or 2019.
