China’s 2025 Summer Box Office Reaches $1.67 Billion, Driven by Animation and Flexible Pricing
BEIJING – China’s summer box office season (2025) generated RMB11.97 billion ($1.67 billion), a 2.7% increase year-over-year, with 321 million admissions, marking the second-highest summer attendance in five years, according to a new report from Maoyan Research Institute.The gains came despite a drop in average ticket prices to $5.04 – the second lowest in the period – attributed to reduced distribution fees and ticket subsidy campaigns.
The summer season saw two films surpass the RMB1 billion ($140 million) mark, consistent with 2024, while the number of titles earning between RMB500 million and RMB 1 billion increased.Local films saw a slight increase in market share, continuing a two-year recovery for imported films. The top three releases collectively accounted for nearly half of the season’s total revenue, a phenomenon analysts describe as the “Matthew Effect,” where a small number of blockbusters dominate the market.
Leading the box office were “Dead to Rights,” “Nobody,” and “The Shadow’s Edge.” Notably, “nobody,” a 2D animated feature, achieved a new record in China for the format, grossing over RMB1.46 billion ($197 million).This success builds on the momentum of “Ne Zha 2,” which previously raised the commercial ceiling for domestic animation.
Among imported films, “Jurassic world: Rebirth” led with RMB567 million ($77 million), demonstrating the continued appeal of established global franchises.The top ten films included a diverse range of genres, such as “the Legend of Hei 2,” “F1: The Movie,” and “The Stage.”
Maoyan Entertainment market analyst Lai li highlighted the strong performance of animation, the growing audience of senior moviegoers – spurred by “The Stage” - and opportunities in intellectual property advancement. “Looking forward,the Chinese film market needs to focus more on content creation itself,using diverse,high-quality content to meet the increasingly sophisticated,segmented,and rational demands of the audience,thereby promoting stable and prosperous market development,” Lai said.
