As of 10:00 AM on December 23, the total box office revenue for the 2025 film market has reached 51.074 billion yuan, significantly exceeding the level achieved during the same period in 2024. The box office for the 2025 New Year holiday season has already hit 4.587 billion yuan, surpassing the total box office of the New Year seasons in both 2024 and 2023. Films scheduled for the New Year's Day holiday have been successively announced, and the New Year season's box office performance is robust. The institution believes that a substantial pipeline of high-quality films is set to be scheduled for the upcoming Spring Festival season, making the film and cinema sector highly promising.
The 2025 New Year film season spans 34 days from November 28 to December 31. In comparison, the 2023 and 2024 New Year seasons lasted 38 days and 40 days respectively, achieving total box office revenues of 4.508 billion yuan and 3.050 billion yuan. By 10:00 AM on December 23, the 2025 New Year season box office had already reached 4.587 billion yuan, exceeding the totals for both the 2024 and 2023 seasons. This season features a large number of films with diverse genres, including suspense,温情 (warm-hearted dramas), action, and sci-fi, catering to the varied viewing preferences of audiences.
The fantasy time-travel IP film "Finding Qin," produced and distributed by Huace Film & TV, is scheduled for release on December 31. This marks the first time the original cast has been brought together on the big screen, and as of December 22, it has attracted 173,000 users marking "want to see" on the Maoyan platform. The suspense film "Anonymous Kill," produced by Maoyan Entertainment, China Film Co., Ltd., Hengdian Films, and Damai Entertainment, is also set for a December 31 release. Previous works by director Ke Wenli, "Sheep Without a Shepherd" and "默杀 (Mo Sha)," achieved box office revenues of 1.333 billion yuan and 1.351 billion yuan respectively, receiving both commercial success and critical acclaim. "A Place to Use Force," produced by Wanda Film, China Film Co., Ltd., and Beijing Culture, is scheduled for December 31. This film is a new work by director Shen Ao, known for "No More Bets" and "Nanjing Photo Studio," and will begin pre-sales on December 24.
Regarding imported films, "Wicked: Part Two" is scheduled for release on December 24. The film has already grossed 488 million yuan globally and holds an IMDb rating of 6.9. "得闲谨制 (De Xian Jin Zhi)," produced by Daylight Entertainment, Maoyan Entertainment, and China Film Co., Ltd., achieved a single-day box office exceeding 100 million yuan on its debut on December 6, and its cumulative票房 has now reached 356 million yuan. The classic IP sequel "Avatar: Fire and Ash" was released in mainland China on December 19, and its cumulative票房 has already reached 441 million yuan, with Maoyan predicting a final mainland total of around 1.112 billion yuan.
The institution believes that a substantial reserve of high-quality films is yet to be scheduled for the Spring Festival season, making the film and cinema chain sector worthy of anticipation. It is recommended to focus on China Film Co., Ltd., which is involved in producing films like "Anonymous Kill" and "A Place to Use Force" and also participates in the distribution of imported films. Huace Film & TV is the primary investor and promoter for "Finding Qin." Shanghai Film's Chinese-style fantasy animated short film collection "Yao-Chinese Folktales 2" is set to premiere exclusively on Bilibili starting January 1, 2026. Ticketing platforms Maoyan Entertainment and Damai Entertainment are poised to benefit fully from the overall recovery in the film market. It is also advisable to monitor high-quality cinema chain companies such as Wanda Film, Hengdian Films, and Jiangsu Happiness Blue Ocean Film & Television, as well as premium content companies like Mango Excellent Media, Enlight Media, and China Literature.
Risk warnings include potential delays in film scheduling and the possibility that box office performance post-release may fall short of expectations.
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