China’s film market enjoyed a record-breaking Lunar New Year, amassing a staggering RMB9.51 billion ($1.31 billion) in total box office revenue over the seven-day holiday period ending Feb. 4, according to a new report from Maoyan Research Institute. With 187 million tickets sold, the lucrative holiday window set an all-time high for the period.
The number easily surpassed the 2024 record of $1.09 billion.
Imax also saw its most successful Lunar New Year yet, generating $53 million in box office receipts – an increase of 57% over its previous record of $34 million in 2023. The premium format exhibitor logged its highest-ever holiday attendance, with 5.5 million moviegoers flocking to Imax screens.
Leading the charge was Enlight Media’s “Ne Zha 2,” which dominated the competition with a formidable $665.7 million to become the highest-grossing Lunar New Year title in history. The sequel to 2019’s runaway animated hit also notched a massive $36 million in Imax, securing the biggest opening weekend ever for an animated film in the format with $22 million.
“Chinese New Year unleashed one of the most impressive surges in moviegoing we’ve seen in recent years, anywhere in the world—leaving a slew of broken Imax records in its wake,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax. “This is a shot of adrenaline for moviegoing in China that comes at just the right time, with a tentpole-heavy slate of local language and Hollywood films ahead for 2025.”
Trailing “Ne Zha 2” but still posting powerhouse numbers, “Detective Chinatown 1900” cracked $313.2 million, cementing the “Detective Chinatown” franchise as China’s first film IP to cross the RMB10 billion ($1.37 billion) mark in total earnings. Alibaba’s fantasy epic “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force” took the third spot with $137.2 million, while Bona’s naval thriller “Operation Hadal” reeled in $2.7 million in Imax.
Imax punched above its weight throughout the holiday, commanding 4.3% of the overall market despite operating just 1% of the country’s screens. The format also capped the festival period with a robust $7.2 million single-day tally, signaling sustained momentum for its slate.
“The message from audiences is clear: Imax is their first choice,” said Daniel Manwaring, CEO of Imax China. “Riding on a stronger-than-ever audience preference, Imax has transformed moviegoing into a cultural phenomenon and a social talking point. We deeply value their brand loyalty and are confident that we can carry this momentum throughout what is poised to be one of the strongest years for Chinese local language films.”
The Maoyan report highlights a trend towards established IPs in 2025 Lunar New Year films. All new films released during the period were sequels or adaptations of large-scale IP films, demonstrating a strong box office appeal.
With its Lunar New Year success fueling its strategy, Imax is continuing to roll out its local language slate globally. “Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force” and “Detective Chinatown 1900” were released in select Imax locations across 11 countries, netting more than $1.2 million overseas. Meanwhile, “Ne Zha 2” will hit Imax theaters in Australia and New Zealand starting Feb. 6.
The Lunar New Year slate is set to continue playing in the region for the next month, running alongside Hollywood tentpoles like Disney’s “Captain America: Brave New World” and the re-release of Wong Kar-wai’s “In the Mood for Love.”
