The total box office for China's 2025 Spring Festival holiday, including pre-sales, had surpassed 6.2 billion yuan (about 862.7 million U.S. dollars) as of 23:59 Saturday, according to data from an online film platform.
From Wednesday to Saturday, the first four days of the 2025 Chinese New Year, the movie market raked in more than 5.74 billion yuan, refreshing the record for the highest box office revenue in the same period the country has ever seen.
Leading the box office chart are three domestic films. "Nezha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea," the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2019 animated blockbuster, currently holds the top spot. It is followed by the comedy-mystery "Detective Chinatown 1900," the fourth installment of the detective franchise. The epic mythological blockbuster "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force" ranks third on the chart.
Chinese people are enjoying an eight-day Spring Festival holiday running from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4. As China's most significant traditional festival, the annual holiday also heralds a lucrative movie season as watching films has become an increasingly prominent pastime for Chinese people during this period.
Six domestic films hit China's cinema screens on Wednesday, spanning a variety of genres including comedy, action, martial arts, science fiction and animation, catering to a wide spectrum of audiences.
China's Spring Festival box office revenue exceeds 6.2 bln yuan
China's Spring Festival box office revenue exceeds 6.2 bln yuan
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.
In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.
"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.
Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.
Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.
"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.
Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.
Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.
"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.
Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela
