Big screen, bigger audiences

Chen Jin, a data analyst at Beacon, said that Jiangsu province led box office revenues, with Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces following closely in second and third places.

He added that in addition, a large portion of Ne Zha 2's audience, a segment aged between 30 and 39 that are typically infrequent cinemagoers, demonstrated the film's appeal beyond families.

Over the past decade, the Spring Festival season has emerged as the most lucrative box office period, evolving from 700 million yuan in 2013 to over 8 billion yuan last year. Half of the 22 films that have generated over 3 billion yuan in box-office receipts were released during the holiday period, according to Beacon.

IMAX theaters, which are known for the size of their screens, achieved a new milestone by grossing 380 million yuan during the recently concluded holiday, a notable 66 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Additionally, IMAX recorded their highest Spring Festival attendance levels, with 5.5 million admissions around the country.

Rich Gelfond, CEO of IMAX, said that Chinese New Year unleashed one of the most impressive surges in moviegoing in China in recent years. "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," he added.