China Box Office Roars Back to Life as ‘Nezha 2’ Earns $434M Over First 5 Days of Lunar New Year Holiday

After overcoming a significant slump in 2024, China’s box office for theaters has seen a surge in profits once more. Since the Chinese New Year celebrations began on January 29, ticket sales revenue in the country has reached $978 million, representing a 27.3% increase compared to the first five days of the same holiday period last year.

Enlight Pictures’ animated sequel, Nezha 2, is breaking box office records. Directed by Yu Yang, the movie has already grossed an impressive $434 million and is expected to surpass the record set by the war film The Battle at Lake Changjin ($913 million) as China’s highest-grossing film of all time. According to ticketing app Maoyan, Nezha 2 could potentially reach as high as $944 million (6.8 billion RMB). The original Nezha film held the title for China’s biggest animated hit with a box office performance of $699.3 million in 2019.

In the second spot, “Detective Chinatown 1900” from Wanda Pictures’ comedy-mystery series, jointly directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo, amassed approximately $253.1 million in its first five days during the Chinese New Year (CNY). The Beijing Culture fantasy sequel titled “Creation of the Gods” came in third with earnings of around $124.3 million, while Fantawild’s newest family movie, “Boonie Bears: Future Reborn,” which is traditionally a popular choice during the Chinese holiday season, brought in about $57.9 million.

The Chinese film industry in Beijing is probably optimistic that robust holiday earnings will mark a turning point for their disappointing performance from the previous year. In 2024, China’s annual box office revenue fell by 25%, down to $5.8 billion, causing concern among local professionals who speculated openly about the potential demise of the traditional theater model.

This year, Imax, the large screen operator, is experiencing significant success during the Chinese holidays, surpassing previous records. The company, responsible for releasing five of the biggest holiday hits in its format, reported a total sales revenue of approximately $38.1 million within the first five days of CNY. This already exceeds Imax’s CNY record of $34 million set in 2023, with two more days left in this year’s week-long holiday.

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2025-02-03 09:24