China's film industry saw a phenomenal performance at the 2025 Spring Festival holiday, achieving historical results in the box office revenue and setting a new record with 187 million moviegoers, driven by factors such as effective marketing and excellent planning.
The explosive growth of the Chinese film market during the eight-day holiday has disproved earlier beliefs that cinemas have lost their appeals to Chinese audience, only to reflect their strong approval for high-quality films and the unique cinema experience.
"The audiovisual experiences in a cinema are truly different. Watching a plot with strangers, and feeling the collective emotional response to the changing scenes from the dynamic and static environment, is much better than watching at home," said a moviegoer.
Business insiders suggest that multiple factors contributed to this boom.
All six films that hit the big screen during this period were well marketed and promoted, according to experts. Data from the popular video-sharing platform Douyin showed that content related to the films garnered 47.1 billion views, while the films' official accounts on the platform gained 7.83 million followers.
"As we know, the film promotion started over a month in advance, and everybody made a lot efforts on the film promotion and distribution. Professionals in the film industry have been actively engaged the audience, responding to online praise and criticism. This indicates that they care a lot about the connection with the audience. In promotion, we see a gradual disclosure of things like characters' appearance on video-sharing platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou," said Zhi Feina, a professor with the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
Cinemas are also well-prepared to accommodate the surge in moviegoers. Modern cinemas offer diverse entertainment services, from dining to interactive activities and themed environments.
"From the lobby to the main corridor, we've set up various displays for the films that are released for the Spring Festival holiday. This year, we set up a 'God of Wealth' section, allowing customers to take photos and draw lots," said Chen Ying, manager of Wanda Cinema CBD branch.
Wanda Cinema reported a 22-percent year-on-year growth in box office revenue during this Spring Festival holiday.
"We have standalone sofas and bench. We also have dozens of booths. These provide young people with space to relax with a few friends when watching movies in our cinema, ensuring a pleasant experience," said Li Hang, a manager on duty at Emperor Cinemas' Beijing Sanlitun branch.
The Chinese movie market craze continues beyond the Spring Festival holiday, boosting tourism at filming locations and the development of film-related merchandise.
"We are pleased to see the collaboration between the film 'Detective Chinatown 1900' and Laoling City in Shandong Province. The film authorities have launched themed activities at the shooting location of Chinatown film in Laoling, such as activities that combine film with and tourism, and those combine film with local delicacies. We've seen there are a lot of visitors in Laoling in recent days, all for 'Detective Chinatown 1900'," said Zhi.
Chinese film market booms during Spring Festival holiday
