The lineup for the 2025 Spring Festival movie season was officially revealed on Wednesday with six highly anticipated films set to hit the big screens in China on the first day of the Spring Festival on January 29.
The six films -- Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force, Ne Zha 2, Detective Chinatown 1900, Operation Leviathan, Boonie Bears: Future Return, and The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero -- span a range of genres and feature impressive creative teams.
Since pre-sales began on Jan 19, advanced sales for the holiday line-up were the fastest ever to reach 100 million yuan (about 13.8 million U.S. dollars).
At a launch ceremony for the Spring Festival movie season, held at the China National Film Museum in Beijing, the cast of each film highlighted the unique selling points of their movie.
"The viewers will not only uncover the hidden points of plot from the first installment of Creation of the Gods, but also get a real sense of the characters and their evolving relationships through a brand new theme," said Wuershan, director of the movie Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force.
Adapted from the classic Chinese martial arts novel by Jin Yong, The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero captures the essence of Chinese chivalry with its portrayal of selfless heroism.
described it as a story with stirring heroism.
"The soul-stirring and awe-inspiring heroic spirit conveyed by the film will be touching, memorable and romantic as well," said Tsui Hark, who directed the film.
The animated film Ne Zha 2 continues the adventures of hero Ne Zha -- a beloved Chinese mythological figure -- with a focus on comedy and spectacular visual effects.
Retaining its signature style, the popular detective series Detective Chinatown 1900 promises twists and turns with big production values and glittering special effects.
As China's first film about nuclear submarines, Operation Leviathan presents a broader underwater battlefield and more complex combat scenarios, offering a unique perspective on naval warfare.
The Great Hero -- the last chapter of the "Boonie Bears" sci-fi series -- combines extreme romance and bold imagination to take viewers on a futuristic adventure.
Different discount and subsidy policies for moviegoers during the Spring Festival were also announced at the launch event with local film authorities across the country organizing special events and promotions to encourage cinema visits.
Supporting institutions, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China UnionPay, Maoyan Entertainment, and Taopiaopiao, are expected to provide at least 600 million yuan (about 83 million U.S. dollars) in subsidies for moviegoers during the holiday season.
Six new films set to hit China's big screens on Chinese New Year's Day
Six new films set to hit China's big screens on Chinese New Year's Day
China will take further steps to expand high-standard opening-up and create a new landscape of win-win cooperation in 2026, which marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said in a recent interview with China Media Group.
Wang said opening up and cooperation for mutual benefit are integral to Chinese modernization. This year, China will actively expand voluntary opening up.
The country will steadily open up such areas as value-added telecommunications, biotechnology and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, while accelerating comprehensive pilot and demonstration programs for expanded opening-up in the services sector, he noted.
"We will expand the scope and regions of unilateral opening-up and ensure the implementation of zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for all African countries that have diplomatic relations with China. We will vigorously promote the effective implementation of policies for special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port, further enhance the level of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, optimize the regional layout and coverage of pilot free trade zones, and support these zones in carrying out more robust institutional opening-up trials in areas such as market access, environmental standards and government procurement, so as to better leverage their role as comprehensive pilot platforms for reform and opening-up," said Wang.
Wang said China will promote the orderly planning of cross-border industrial and supply chains.
Efforts will be made to deepen economic and trade cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, enhance integration and connectivity across production and supply chains, and encourage cooperation in areas including green development, the digital economy, green minerals, new infrastructure and new energy so as to help build global production and supply chain partnerships that are equal, inclusive and constructive, he noted.
"We will give play to the platform role of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, expand overseas marketing networks and explore international markets through outward investment, achieve mutual promotion between investment and trade, and advance the integrated development of trade and investment. We will also improve the overseas comprehensive service system and the national-level overseas comprehensive service platform," said the minister.
In addition, China will participate constructively in global economic governance, according to the minister.
In 2026, Wang said, China will pursue flexible and pragmatic approaches to negotiate trade and investment agreements with more willing countries and regions, while strengthening economic and trade cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as BRICS, G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, to further promote mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.
China to expand high-standard opening-up to foster win-win cooperation: minister
