In 2024, high expectations for the recovery of the industry and market, following the end of the zero-Covid policy and the reopening of China’s borders, were crushed by a national economy that remained feeble. The Year of the Dragon saw box office earnings of US$5.81 billion (¥42.5 billion), lower than in 2023 which saw a gross of US$7.65 billion (¥54.915 billion). The highest-grossing film was YOLO: You Only Live Once, directed by Jia Ling (FEFF26), earning US$472 million (¥3.46 billion). The most popular genres remained comedies, thrillers, and animated films. 2025 kicked off with the success of films released for the traditional Lunar New Year, marking the beginning of the Year of the Snake, with Nezha 2, written and directed by Jiaozi. It’s currently still screening in theatres, earning astounding takings of US$2.03 billion (¥16.67 billion) at the box office, which makes it the highest-grossing film and the most record-breaking animated film of all time. 2025 marks the year that Chinese cinema has started to dream big again.
According to data published by the China Film Administration, the box office in 2024 was US$5.81 billion (¥42.5 billion), a drop of 22.6% compared to 2023 takings of US$7.65 billion (¥54.915 billion), and a drop of 34% compared to the pre-Covid era, which included the 2019 all-time record of US$9.08 billion (¥64.17 billion). 501 features which got a big-screen release in 2024, and 425 of them were national productions and 76 were imported films. That was a lower number compared to 2023, which saw a total of 510 films. In 2019, 555 films were distributed in theatres, of which 426, or 76.76%, were national productions and co-productions, and 129, or 23.24%, imported films.
In 2024, national productions generated US$4.572 billion (¥33.45 billion), accounting for 78.7% of the total box office – a 27.3% decline from the US$6.288 billion (¥46.005 billion) of 2023 – while imported films generated US$1.237 billion (¥9.05 billion), making up 21.3% – still a far cry from 2019’s 35.9%. According to Reuters, the box office crisis in China is caused by a mix of factors: a decline in the number of feature films produced, competition from online platforms, including mini-series, and a slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy have all contributed to the situation. However, the number of screens nationwide continues to grow, reaching 90,968, while ticket prices remain above US$5.50 (around ¥40). According to data from the Maoyan Research Institute, 2024 saw a total of 1.01 billion cinema-goers, down from 1.3 billion in 2023. By the end of 2024, the China Film Administration introduced a subsidy programme to help the struggling box office. According to the official news agency Xinhua, several banks and online ticketing platforms jointly invested US$82 million (¥600 million) to offer discounted tickets and prizes to encourage people to fill the seats.
James Li, co-founder of the research think-tank Fanink tried to analyze this decline in attendance in The Hollywood Reporter and Box Office. On social media, widespread job insecurity is expressed, particularly among recent graduates and mid-career individuals. For this reason, people prefer to save money. In a recent qualitative study on Gen Z in China, conducted by Fanink, younger people showed a clear tendency towards seeking more stability in life, as shown by the record number of candidates applying for government jobs in 2024. They do not seem as ambitious or adventurous as previous generations. When it comes to films, they claim they do not want to risk spending time and money on a film that might not meet their expectations. Indeed, many complain that the online marketing of films is becoming increasingly misleading.
According to data from the Maoyan Pro app, 2024 saw the return of comedies dominating the top ten box office grossers. Comedies are marking a new trend, focusing on the everyday lives of ordinary people, particularly wonangfei, or “losers.” “Losers” are the new “heroes” of Chinese comedies. Their success can be attributed to the fact that audiences identify with these losers and antiheroes, who reflect their own struggles in an exhausting work culture and toxic family relationships.
The biggest earner with takings of US$472 million (¥3.46 billion) was the bittersweet comedy YOLO: You Only Live Once, directed by Jia Ling, who already made a massive mark on the box office in 2021 with the film Hi Mum!. YOLO, a remake of the Japanese film 100 Yen Love, released during the 2024 Lunar New Year, leapt to the top of the box office charts due to its realistic and optimistic tone, with an inspiring story that encourages overcoming everyday difficulties and frustrations. The film revolves around an unemployed, overweight woman who starts her life anew by boxing training. While most of the criticism of the film has focused on whether the protagonist’s weight loss either overcame or perpetuated body shaming, the film addresses a much broader range of social issues, such as self-realisation, female empowerment, and the phenomenon of NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training).
In second place, with takings of US$464 million (¥3.38 billion), is the sports comedy Pegasus 2, directed by Han Han (The Continent, 2014; Duckweed, 2017; Pegasus, 2019; Only Fools Rush In, 2022). Released during the 2024 Lunar New Year, the film tells the story of a former champion, now fallen from grace, and the new team he recruits to compete in a famous rally race. While many critics have compared it to the Fast and Furious franchise, the film does not feature tough, hardcore drivers, but rather a group of outsiders dealing with midlife crises. In third place in the rankings, with takings of US$454 million (¥3.32 billion), is the absurd comedy Successor, co-directed by Yan Fei and Peng Damo, starring megastars Shen Teng and Ma Li. Released on the big screen in July 2024, the film is about an odd couple who decide to hide their wealth in order to raise their son, Ma Jiye, to become a responsible family successor. A satire on the constraints and responsibilities of parenting in traditional Chinese culture, it traces the growth of a child in an artificially impoverished environment orchestrated by his incredibly wealthy parents.
Although the narrative mainly focuses on the second child, many internet users have found themselves sympathising with the first child, who is labelled a complete failure for not living up to his parents’ ideals. The judicial dramedy Article 20, by the maestro Zhang Yimou, took fourth place with US$335 million (¥2.45 billion). Released during the 2024 Lunar New Year holiday, it portrays a difficult fight for justice, combining the public story of legal cases with the private histories of its characters. The concept of wonangfei strongly resonates in this film, considering that Article 20 refers to the legal right to self-defence and its interpretation, which in many cases has sadly led to victims of abuse and violence being wrongly condemned as criminals.
In fifth place, earning US$273 million (¥1.98 billion), is Boonie Bears: Time Twist by Lin Yongchang, released during the 2024 Lunar New Year holidays. It is the tenth and highest-grossing film in the Boonie Bears animated series, surpassing the success of the previous Boonie Bears: Guardian Code by Lin Yongchang and Shao Heqi, which reached a peak of eighth place in the 2023 rankings, taking US$208.97 million (¥1.50 billion) at the box office. Released in July, the police thriller A Place Called Silence, directed by Sam Quah, ranks sixth with US$184 million (¥1.35 billion). At the heart of the story is a girls’ middle school which has serious issues of bullying, and where the tragic death of a student sparks a wave of disappearances.
Seventh place goes to the war epic The Volunteers: The Battle of Life and Death, directed by Chen Kaige, with takings of US$164 million (¥1.21 billion). Released during the National Day holiday on October 1st, the film is the second episode of a trilogy conceived and directed by Chen Kaige to portray China’s involvement in the Korean War. The first episode, The Volunteers: To the War, was released in the same period in 2023. This second episode depicts the third, fourth, and fifth battles of the war, including the Battle of Cheorwon. It’s interesting to note that war films, which have swept the board at the box office in previous years, seem to have fallen out of favour with Chinese audiences, as have films inspired by traditional comic book heroes and domestic blockbusters enhanced by special effects and megastars.
Eighth place goes to the comedy Johnny Keep Walking! by Dong Runnian, released at the end of December 2023, with US$143 million (¥1.06 billion). The story follows an HR manager at a company trapped in a Kafkaesque system of bureaucracy, nepotism, scapegoats, arbitrary layoffs, and corrupt bosses. The story is set in 2019, at the beginning of the digital revolution. According to The Straits Times, writer and director Dong Runnian (Mr. Six, 2015) manages to avoid provoking political ire, even though his clever business satire is largely a critique of today’s society. The enormous box office success clearly strikes a chord with the current generation of white-collar workers in the country. Audiences relate to the HR manager who just can’t get ahead on the career ladder despite his punishing hours, as well as the young contract graduate with no job security. This office satire is dedicated to every wage slave who feels exploited, neglected, or oppressed.
Ninth in the rankings with US$130 million (¥956 million) is the American blockbuster Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Rounding off the list, the Miyazaki Hayao animation The Boy and the Heron, released in April 2024, takes tenth place with US$108 million (¥791 million).
Among the bittersweet comedies that fit into the wonangfei trend – losers but heroes – one that stands out is Upstream, directed by Xu Zheng, a popular actor known for his hit comedies, as well as being the director of the successful Lost in Thailand (2012), Lost in Hong Kong (2015), and Lost in Russia (2020). Released in August, Upstream, which offers a snapshot of life in the Chinese gig economy, sparked several controversies on social media even before its theatrical release. Dominic Morgan, writing in Sixth Tone, explained how the director, in an attempt to placate the outrage, found himself responding directly to the criticism during a press event just days before the film’s release. Expectations for the film were high because in recent years, Xu Zheng has explored pressing social issues, as seen in the highly acclaimed Dying to Survive (2018). With delivery platforms employing millions of people but notorious for their harsh working conditions, the gig economy seemed like a zeitgeisty issue to tackle. On social media, critics accused the director of exploiting the stories of gig workers to generate personal profit. Despite a difficult start, the film performed well at the box office, earning US$49 million (¥359 million), proof positive that the audience was not put off by all the aggressive and negative comments surrounding the film. Around the same time, the spy thriller Decoded by Chen Sicheng, well-known for the Detective Chinatown series, was also a hit. Based on the novel of the same name by Mai Jia, the film is set in the 1940s and follows a mathematical genius and autistic man, Rong Jinzhen, who is forced to abandon his academic studies to become a codebreaker for a spy agency. Many have described the film as China’s version of Oppenheimer, or a mix of A Beautiful Mind and The Imitation Game, though it has faced clear criticism for being overly syrupy, excessively patriotic and ambitious, and at times, for the narrative that is too long-winded and complex. The film grossed US$46 million (¥335 million).
Among the films loved by audiences, some rare gems were directed by female filmmakers who have skillfully woven complex stories from a female perspective. The extraordinary box office successes of Hi Mum! in 2021 (debut film, US$851.96 million) and YOLO in 2024 (second film, US$472 million), comedies written, directed, and starring Jia Ling, drew inspiration from intimate, personal stories. Her films have sparked a stronger interest in producing films directed by women that centre on women’s issues. Two films that have received plaudits and audience appreciation – particularly female audiences – also sparked a lively debate on social media: Like a Rolling Stone, directed by Yin Lichuan, released in September 2024, which grossed US$17 million (¥124 million) at the box office, and Her Story, directed by Shao Yihui (B for Busy, 2021), released in November 2024, which earned US$98.5 million (¥712 million).
Based on the true story of 59-year-old Su Min, Like a Rolling Stone could have been a film about domestic violence, but, as Dominic Morgan points out in his review in Sixth Tone, the film exposes the traditional value system that essentially defines women as inferior beings, relegating them to the role of domestic caregivers. In the film, the main character leaves home not just to escape an abusive husband but to free herself from the domestic obligations of being a wife, mother, and grandmother, which have for decades forced her to put aside her own dreams. It’s interesting to note how several characters, including women, are complicit in enforcing traditional gender roles. Ultimately, the film conveys a message of female solidarity, which the director also emphasised during the film’s promotion. Su’s story continues to resonate, inspiring ongoing conversations about women’s rights in contemporary society and triggering much-needed discussions about feminism.
In Her Story, director Shao Yihui offers an original tale of female emancipation, presenting a revolution in Chinese female storytelling, as already seen in her previous outing B for Busy. In her review for the Singapore Film Society, Belle Wong notes that Her Story challenges stereotypes in Chinese cinema, breaking the mould in the representation of single mothers and criticising the traditional media portrayal of feminine archetypes, where female characters are confined to rigid stereotypes, with little character development or focused narratives, where they often serve as a mere narrative tool for male protagonists. In Her Story, the lives of the female characters – and by extension, women in real life – do not and should not revolve around men. The script is boldly flipped, moving men from the spotlight to the sidelines, reducing their roles to labels like “ex-husband” or “drummer” to highlight how superficial the representations of women are when they are reversed. Some critics have accused the film of demonising men. However, Her Story seeks space for a balanced dialogue between the sexes, suggesting that both genders are pressured by the patriarchal system to conform to rigid patterns and inviting men into the feminist discourse.
Riding the wave of this trend, the Italian film There’s Still Tomorrow by Paola Cortellesi was released in cinemas in China on March 8th this year, achieving resounding success with both critics and the public. Films that inspire female empowerment and feminist thought are still rarely successful, and they still attract controversy. Feminism in China must be understood within a more complex context, where any form of association or collective gathering is strongly repressed, as it may pose a threat to the legitimacy of the authorities. Two more gems have stood out with unexpected success. The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, a documentary directed by Fang Li, tells the story of a little-known episode from the Second World War, in which a Japanese merchant ship transporting around 1,800 British prisoners of war from Hong Kong to Japan was torpedoed by an American submarine, sinking in Chinese waters. The film is the result of years of research by the director to identify all the victims and track down their closest relatives. Released in cinemas in September 2024, the film grossed US$6.5 million (¥47 million). Another well-received release was Chinatown Cha-Cha, a travel documentary directed by Luka Yuanyuan Yang, which follows a company of elderly Chinese-American dancers on their tours in China, the United States and Cuba, led by the indomitable spirit of former nightclub dancer Coby Yee. These two documentaries piqued the audience’s curiosity, offering a glimpse into a not-too-distant past through characters who bridged the gap between China and the rest of the world.
2025 kicked off with box office smashes released for the traditional Lunar New Year, marking the beginning of the Year of the Snake. It will likely be remembered as the year that was the cherry on the cake for the animation genre. Nezha 2, written and directed by Jiaozi, and currently still showing on the big screen, has so far achieved astronomical box office takings of US$2.03 billion (¥16.67 billion), making it the highest-grossing animated film in a single territory – the Chinese domestic market – and the highest-grossing animated film and non-English language film worldwide. It also ranks as the first animated film in history to reach the US$2 billion milestone, the highest-grossing film of 2025, the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, and the animated film with the most tickets sold. The first chapter of the Nezha series was released in 2019 and made a huge impact grossing a billion dollars at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time in China (US$703.71 million).
Another animated sequel, I Am What I Am 2, directed by Sun Haipeng, was released in December 2024, building on the success of the first episode, I Am What I Am (FEFF25). However, it seems that audiences were not fond of the portrayal of the characters, whose faces and expressions appeared unrealistic and rather caricatured, a criticism that was already raised with the first episode. The 2025 Lunar New Year also saw the return of legendary director Tsui Hark with his film Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants, a cinematic adaptation of a classic martial arts novel. The film is a nostalgic tribute to Hong Kong martial arts films of the 1980s and 1990s and has become the highest-grossing wuxia film in the history of Chinese cinema.
Additionally, the second film in the Creation of the Gods trilogy by director Wuershan, Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force, an epic fantasy that had already broken box office records in China with Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms in 2023, was released. Adapted from the 16th-century fantasy novel Investiture of the Gods by Ming dynasty author Xu Zhonglin, the second film in the trilogy tells the story of the defence of the city of Xiqi against a siege by the Shang army.
Detective Chinatown 1900, directed by Chen Sicheng and Dai Mo, the fourth and final chapter of the Detective Chinatown series, one of the most popular comedy detective franchises, which celebrates the 10th anniversary since its debut in 2015. Set in San Francisco in 1900, the film follows the investigation by Qin Fu and Ah Gui into the murder of a woman in Chinatown.
The year 2025 begins with optimism fueled by these billion-dollar box office successes. We will have to see whether the decline in the number of feature films released in cinemas will continue, whether competition from online platforms with their limited drama series will win out in the long term, and whether the economy can take off again, bringing stability and confidence to the country. Chinese cinema, its success, and its development are more than ever in the hands of the public.
(Data sourced from Artisan Gateway, ScreenDaily, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Variety Asia, Maoyan Research Institute, Maoyan pro app, Sixth Tone)
Maria A. Ruggieri