‘Ne Zha 2,’ ‘Zootopia 2’ Lead China Box Office Past $7.4 Billion in 2025

China‘s theatrical market staged a robust recovery in 2025, with total box office reaching RMB51.83 billion ($7.41 billion) and admissions climbing to 1.24 billion – both representing year-over-year increases exceeding 20%, according to a new report from Maoyan Entertainment’s research division.

In 2024, the China box office plummeted 23% to $5.8 billion. The 2025 rebound was fueled primarily by animated titles and IP-driven franchises, with 57 animated films generating over RMB25 billion ($3.57 billion) in revenue – representing nearly half of the year’s total gross. Leading the charge were local sequel “Ne Zha 2” ($2.13 billion) and Disney’s “Zootopia 2” ($558.3 million), which delivered exceptional box office performance.

The Maoyan Research Institute’s “Insight Report on 2025 China’s Box Office Film Data,” highlighted animation’s outsized impact on the market’s growth trajectory.

IP strength proved particularly potent in the animation sector, with select franchises recording significantly higher rewatch rates than market averages. “Ne Zha 2” achieved the year’s highest rewatch ratio, while “Zootopia 2” and other popular titles demonstrated sustained fan engagement and loyalty.

The report revealed increasing market concentration around tentpole releases. Among 2025’s top 10 new films, four surpassed RMB3 billion ($429 million) at the box office and eight crossed the RMB1 billion ($143 million) threshold. Local productions captured a slightly larger market share compared to 2024, though the number of local films grossing over RMB1 billion remained steady year-over-year.

However, mid-tier local releases faced challenges, with films earning between RMB100-500 million ($14.3 million-$71.5 million) and RMB500 million-1 billion ($71.5 million-$143 million) showing marked declines, underscoring the market’s growing polarization toward blockbuster projects.

Lower-tier cities emerged as crucial growth engines, with third- and fourth-tier markets’ box office contributions reaching a five-year high in 2025, marking three consecutive years of expansion. The proportion of first-time and infrequent moviegoers also increased, broadening cinema’s audience reach.

Local productions shifted away from sweeping narratives toward stories reflecting everyday life, employing diverse visual styles and genres to meet varied audience preferences. Meanwhile, imported superhero franchises experienced notable declines, suggesting these properties require fresh creative approaches to maintain market appeal.

“In 2025, several key holiday release windows outperformed expectations thanks to the support of breakout hits, setting multiple new records and delivering pleasant surprises to both the industry and audiences,” said Maoyan Entertainment market analyst Lai Li. “The traditional ‘blockbuster model,’ in its classic sense, is no longer a guaranteed formula for box office success, offering new lessons for market participants.”

Looking toward 2026, Lai emphasized the industry must continue refining its content pipeline, attracting diverse audience segments with high-quality films combining popularity, strong word-of-mouth, and freshness to unlock further growth potential.