China’s 2025 box office hits £5.5 billion, with animation leading the growth.
China’s film market keeps growing. As of December 13th, total box office revenue in mainland China has surpassed RMB 50 billion (£5.5 billion), up 22% from 2024. This marks the fifth time since 2017 that the annual box office has crossed this milestone, according to CNS.
Nearly 1.2 billion tickets were sold across 137 million screenings. Average ticket prices dropped slightly to RMB 41.9 (£4.6).
Top Films Lead the Market
The year’s top films followed a “one-super, multiple-strong” pattern. Nezha 2 led with RMB 15.4 billion (£1.7 billion), setting a new global record for animated film revenue. Other major hits include Detective Chinatown 1900 (RMB 3.61 billion / £0.4 billion), Zootopia 2 (RMB 3.35 billion / £0.37 billion), Dead To Rights (RMB 3.02 billion / £0.33 billion), and 731 (RMB 1.94 billion / £0.21 billion).
Peak release periods such as the Spring Festival, summer, and year-end holidays drove strong box office growth. The Spring Festival set new records, while the year-end holiday box office has already exceeded RMB 3.7 billion (£0.41 billion), beating last year’s total.
Animation Dominates
Animation was the standout genre, earning over RMB 24.5 billion (£2.7 billion), nearly half of total box office revenue. In addition to Nezha 2 and Zootopia 2, summer releases like Nobody broke new records for 2D animation. The Legend of Hei 2 also achieved both box office success and critical acclaim.
Analyst Chen Jin notes that animated films extend beyond theaters. They generate merchandise, games, and media adaptations, showing strong long-term commercial value.
With Avatar 3 coming soon, the year-end box office could break new records. China’s film industry continues to show strong domestic appeal and growing global influence, with animation and blockbusters leading the way.
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