China Summer Box Office Climbs to $1.6 Billion, Maoyan Reports

China’s 2025 summer box office season generated RMB11.97 billion ($1.67 billion), up 2.7% from last year, with admissions reaching 321 million — the second-highest in five years, according to a new report from Maoyan Research Institute.

The average ticket price dropped to $5.04, the second lowest over the period, driven by reduced distribution fees and ticket subsidy campaigns. The report notes that flexible pricing helped lift audience enthusiasm, with occupancy rates ranking second-highest among the past five summer seasons.

Two films crossed the RMB1 billion ($140 million) mark, on par with 2024, while the number of titles grossing between RMB500 million and RMB 1 billion increased. Local films slightly increased their market share, while imported films continued a two-year recovery. The top three releases accounted for nearly half of the season’s revenue, underscoring what analysts call the “Matthew Effect” — a dynamic where a few blockbusters capture a disproportionate share of the market, leaving smaller titles with less visibility.

The season’s top-grossing titles were “Dead to Rights,” “Nobody” and “The Shadow’s Edge.” “Nobody,” a 2D animated feature, set a new record in China’s box office history for the format, grossing more than RMB1.46 billion ($197 million). Its success follows the momentum of “Ne Zha 2,” which elevated the commercial ceiling for domestic animation.

Among imports, “Jurassic World: Rebirth” led with RMB567 million ($77 million), reaffirming the appeal of established global IP. The diversity of the top 10 — which also included “The Legend of Hei 2,” “F1: The Movie” and “The Stage” — reflected broader audience demand across genres.

Lai Li, a market analyst at Maoyan Entertainment, highlighted the standout performance of animation, the growing senior moviegoer segment driven by “The Stage,” and opportunities in IP development. “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.