The Chinese box office hit a record high over Lunar New Year with animation Ne Zha 2 and prequel Detective Chinatown 1900 helping deliver a total
The Chinese box office hit a record high over Lunar New Year with animation Ne Zha 2 and prequel Detective Chinatown 1900 helping deliver a total gross of more than $1.1bn (RMB8bn) over six days from January 29 to February 3
The Year of the Snake made a powerful start last Wednesday (January 29), the first day of the holidays, with takings of $250m (RMB1.8bn), up 35% on 2024 and the biggest single day gross ever in China – beating the previous record of $235m (RMB1.69bn) from 2021.
Six fresh local titles were released over the period and the total gross is expected to rise further as the Chinese New Year holidays continue until Tuesday (February 4).
Fantasy adventure animation Ne Zha 2 led the race throughout and has surpassed more than a dozen box office milestones. The sequel is once again directed by Jiaozi (aka Yang Yu) and backed by Enlight Pictures. It follows the adventures of the titular Ne Zha, a well-known boy character from Chinese mythology with unique powers. The original film, released in 2019 as Jiaozi’s feature debut, remains the fourth highest grossing non-English language film of all time, having taken $726m worldwide.
While a reversal of fortune happened occasionally when films overtook the frontrunners to steal the box office crown such as Dante Lam’s Operation Red Sea and Jia Ling’s Hi, Mom from 2018 and 2021 Chinese New Year respectively, Ne Zha 2 is holding its top spot by a gigantic margin. It has earned $434.2m (RMB3.1bn) from Wednesday through Sunday, equivalent to the combined box office of the three films trailing behind it.
According to predictions from ticketing and large data platform Maoyan, the film is set to pass $944m (RMB6.8bn), which will position it as the biggest film of all time in China. The current record holders are The Battle At Lake Changjin ($802m/RMB5.77bn) and Wolf Warriors 2 ($790.8m/RMB5.69bn), followed by Hi, Mom ($751.8m/RMB5.4bn) and the Jiaozi’s first Ne Zha ($699.3m/RMB5bn).
In second place over the holidays was Detective Chinatown 1900, which reunites director Chen Sicheng with actors Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, with Hong Kong star Chow Yun Fat and US actor John Cusack joining the cast and Dai Mo as co-director.
After previously setting the story in Thailand, New York and Japan, the fourth film in the action comedy franchise travels back in time to the Chinese community of 1900 San Francisco, positioning it as a prequel. The latest instalment added $253.1m (RMB18.2bn) as of February 2 to the franchise, which has grossed more than $1.2bn (RMB8.7bn) from the first three films.
Recognisable characters
All the six local releases that opened on the first day of Chinese New Year are based on existing IP, with recognisable and diverse characters along with settings to attract a wide audience.
In third place was Wuershan’s live-action fantasy epic The Creation Of The Gods II: Demon Force, the second instalment of a trilogy adapted from classical fantasy novel Fengshen Yanyi, which had taken $124.3 (RMB895m) as of February 2, compared to takings of $366m (RMB2.6bn) from the first film, which proved a summer hit in 2023.
Tsui Hark’s Legends Of The Condor Heroes: The Gallants was a frontrunner in advance ticket sales, but dropped to fourth place with takings of $75.4 (RMB543m) after five days on release. The period martial arts film is adapted from a book series by the overdue Louis Cha (aka Jin Yong), which has sold over 300 million copies worldwide and has been remade repeatedly as film and TV series over the decades.
Set in China’s Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), the film focuses on the story of Guo Jing, and how he grew to become a martial arts master and national hero. Xiao Zhan and Zhuang Dafei lead the cast. China Film Group, Lianray Pictures and HG Entertainment are among the major investors. Sony Pictures International Productions (SPIP) has acquired international rights.
Boonie Bears: Future Reborn, the 11th instalment of the beloved animated franchise by Fantawild Animation, features a dystopian world set 100 years in the future. It added $57.9 (RMB417m) as of February 2 to the franchise, which has become a Chinese New Year fixture. The first 10 films have collectively taken more than $1.06bn (RMB7.7bn) at the local box office.
Dante Lam’s action-packed war film Operation Hadal brings back the special Chinese operations team, Jiao Long, when an offshore platform in Chinese territorial waters is occupied by mercenaries by force, unleashing a fierce fight in the deep sea. The cast is led by Huang Xuan, Yu Shi and Zhang Hanyu, with the Bona Film Group as backers.
The film earned $33.3m (RMB240m) including previews as of February 2. It is marketed as a follow-up to Lam’s Operation Red Sea, which became the highest grossing film of 2018 with $503.4m (RMB3.65bn).
This auspicious Chinese New Year box office provided a relief to the Chinese film industry, which saw a 23% year-on-year drop in 2024.
The above box office data is taken from various sources including Artisan Gateway, Maoyan and Beacon.
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