CGTN: China's Spring Festival holiday box office set historic record

BEIJING, Feb. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In a record-breaking achievement for China's film industry, as of 13:29 on February 5, 2025, the total box-office revenue of new films released during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday season exceeded 10 billion yuan (around $1.37 billion), according to movie data platform Beacon Pro.

The Spring Festival holiday season, which ran from January 28 to February 4, also saw the number of moviegoers break records: 187 million people attended theaters during the holiday.

The strong performance during the holiday season propelled China's total film box office in 2025 to the top of the global list, exceeding that of North America.

During the holiday, the animated film "Ne Zha 2" stood out with a staggering box-office revenue of 4.839 billion yuan, and continues to shatter records in Chinese cinematic history, such as the viewership of animated films. Movie data platform Beacon Pro also predicts the movie's final box-office takings may exceed 8.5 billion yuan, which is likely to top the all-time Chinese film box office chart and rewrite records.

Capitalizing on the domestic boom, the international trailer for "Ne Zha 2" was recently unveiled and is slated for release in Australia and North America in mid-February.

This Spring Festival also witnessed a slew of Chinese films achieving overseas success. "Detective Chinatown 1900," "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force," and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants" garnered global attention and acclaim from international audiences.

"Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force" premiered simultaneously in 16 countries and regions outside of China, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Bulgaria. In Australia and New Zealand, it reigned as the top-grossing movie for four consecutive days. In North America, the movie led the non-English language box office from January 31 to February 2.

"Detective Chinatown 1900" was released in multiple Spanish cities during the Spring Festival. It was screened in 213 cinemas in North America, and 93 cinemas in Australia and New Zealand, breaking the overseas screening record for Chinese-language films.

Many overseas viewers noted that Chinese films are leading in innovation in visual effects, storytelling, and cultural representation. Some particularly praised the quality of the English subtitles, which helped them better understand Chinese films and Chinese culture.