China's 2025 box office tops 10 billion yuan, surpassing North America

In a major milestone of the film industry, China's box office revenue for 2025, including pre-sales, has officially exceeded 10 billion yuan (over 1.4 billion U.S. dollars), surpassing those of North America.

Latest data has showed that the box office revenue has hit 10.12 billion yuan, placing China at the top of the global box office rankings for this year.

As of 10:40 on Tuesday, the box office for the Spring Festival holiday period reached a new historical record of 8.7 billion yuan (over 1.21 billion U.S. dollars), with cinemas across the nation receiving over 170 million visits.

The number exceeding the figure registered in the 2024 Spring Festival, setting a new record for audience attendance during the Spring Festival in Chinese cinema history.

The week-long holiday, which runs from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4, is traditionally the most lucrative period for China's film industry, with audiences flocking to theaters to watch new releases.

Meanwhile, the daily box office has exceeded 1 billion yuan for six consecutive days since Jan. 29 when six films targeting the holiday season were released.

Leading the pack are the animated fantasy "Ne Zha 2," Detective Chinatown 1900" and "Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force".

The historic high box office of the Spring Festival holiday reflects the high-quality development in China's domestic films and highlights the strong recognition of Chinese traditional culture among audiences.

It also indicates vibrant consumption during the holiday as well as the consumers' confidence in domestic productions.

In addition, innovative marketing strategies have enabled Spring Festival films to break new ground ahead of schedule.

This year, the promotional methods for films during the Spring Festival have evolved from traditional events including theater previews to a diversified approach that includes short video promotions and social media interactions, igniting excitement and expectations for the films.

Moreover, special effects have become the "invisible infrastructure" of the film industry, with five out of the six blockbusters targeting the holiday season featuring advanced special effects.

Data shows that films with special visual effects have comprised about half of the total offerings during the Spring Festival seasons of the past five years.

The trend highlights how special effects have infiltrated various types of films, becoming integral to the industry.

Traditional cultural themes have also gained popularity among this year's Spring Festival films, as half of the films released during the festival are rooted in traditional Chinese culture, including ancient Chinese history, mythology, and martial arts culture.

Additionally, almost every film for this Spring Festival has been coupled with related tourist attractions, which have seen a marked increase in tourist visits as a result.

China's 2025 box office tops 10 billion yuan, surpassing North America

China's 2025 box office tops 10 billion yuan, surpassing North America

China's 2025 box office tops 10 billion yuan, surpassing North America

China's 2025 box office tops 10 billion yuan, surpassing North America

China's 2025 box office tops 10 billion yuan, surpassing North America

A growing number of Chinese energy companies are increasing their presence in the Persian Gulf as they get deeply involved in the region's energy transition.

As a highlight of China-Gulf cooperation, green energy projects carried out by Chinese companies in Gulf states gained spotlight at the 18th World Future Energy Summit, which took place from Wednesday to Thursday in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A shining example is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. As one of the largest single-site solar parks in the world, the solar thermal plant is a key project to help Dubai achieve its carbon reduction goals and significantly increase the share of clean energy in the city's power mix.

"Upon completion in 2030, it will exceed 8,000 megawatts, and it will reduce 8.5 million tons of carbon emmissions on an annual basis. And it will raise Dubai's clean energy capacity up to 36 percent," said Ali Hayat, a senior engineer of the project.

In recent years, more and more Chinese energy product suppliers have transitioned to a new role as investors by building plants and regional offices in the Gulf region to deepen their participation in local energy transition.

"China has been absurdly in the lead in both ways -- in providing technologies that make the cost of solar panel to be affordable around the world, and also in an amazing increase of the share of renewable energy in the energy system," said Francesco La Camera, director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Chinese companies seek greater role in Gulf states' energy transition