The annual work report of China's Supreme People's Court highlighted major legal cases from the past year on Saturday, with the court's focus on combating corruption, protecting vulnerable groups, and upholding social order.
The work report was delivered by Zhang Jun, president and chief justice of Supreme People's Court, during the second plenary meeting of third session of 14th National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing.
In the report, major cases mentioned were the crackdown on corruption within Chinese football circle in 2024. Several high-ranking officials faced severe penalties, including Du Zhaocai, former deputy head of the General Administration of Sport of China, with a 10-year sentence in prison, Chen Xuyuan, former head of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), with a life imprisonment, and Li Tie, former head coach of China's national men's football team, with a 20-year sentence in prison.
By doing so, the Supreme People's Court intends to severely punish corruption and promote the healthy development of the sports industry.
Another significant case mentioned in the report was that of Yu Huaying, who was sentenced to death, for trafficking 17 children.
Before then, the report said, the case went through a retrial ruled by the Guizhou Provincial High People's Court. The final sentence was ultimately upheld to provide a measure of relief and solace to the victims and their families. Yu was executed on Feb 28, 2025, following the Supreme People's Court's approval.
The work report also underlined the Supreme People's Court's commitment to protecting citizens' privacy and safeguarding vulnerable populations.
The Supreme People's Court stressed its commitment to punishing crimes that violate personal privacy. The report underlined the case of hidden camera installed in multiple hotel rooms by a suspect surnamed Shi, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for installing hidden-camera along with his companies.
In a case of widespread fraud, 980,000 elderly individuals were defrauded of over 3.4 million yuan (about 470,000 U.S. dollars) through unauthorized phone charges. The main perpetrator surnamed Ou was sentenced to 12 years in prison for theft in a move the court described as "protecting the elderly."
The work report also included the first case that "professional business closers" should take the responsibility of liquidation to pay off the debt due to business closure. A "professional business closer" is one who is appointed to close a specific business. The closer files a false liquidation report and gets the business deregistered, which would later make creditors, or consumers, unable to receive compensation.
The court has decided that this kind of act is a malicious deregistration, and that the 'professional business closer' is helping the business to escape debt.
In addition, the report also detailed a traffic accident case where a pedestrian who ran a red light collided with an e-bike rider, causing the rider to be fatally struck by a car. The court ruled that the car driver, who was driving safely and could not avoid the collision, was not liable. The pedestrian, surnamed Zhou, was convicted of causing the traffic accident. The Supreme People's Court stated that the ruling balanced legal principles and compassion in an effort to promote the spirit of socialist rule of law.
China's Supreme People's Court highlights key cases in annual report
An industry observer said that 2026 is poised to be a "year of sequels and cultural stories" in global animation, following a strong 2025 where such films dominated box offices worldwide.
With heavyweights like Toy Story 5, Minions 3, and China's perennial favorite Boonie Bears set for release, along with culturally rooted productions such as The Three Kingdoms: War 1 Luoyang, the coming months are expected to draw large audiences and reinforce animation's central role in cinema.
This optimism is built on a solid foundation from the previous year.
Looking back at China's film market in 2025, animated features emerged as a powerful driving force. Four of the year's top 10 highest-grossing films were animations, three of which were domestic productions.
Total animation revenue exceeded 25 billion yuan (around 3.58 billion U.S. dollars), capturing nearly 50 percent of the annual box office. As the new year unfolds, the animation sector continues to shine with promising highlights.
A key trend driving this momentum is the surge of sequels from major franchises.
"One notable trend is the abundance of sequels to classic animated films, particularly from Hollywood. Several iconic series are releasing new installments, making 2026 a year of animated sequels. Given their strong IP foundation, these sequels are expected to attract more audiences' attention and achieve solid box office results," said Hu Jianli, secretary general of the Chinese Film Critics Society.
Alongside these international sequels, domestic animation IPs are also deepening their influence and expanding their reach. The annual Boonie Bears series will welcome its latest installment, while the popular TV series The Immortal Ascension is set for its big-screen debut.
"It's fair to say that the Boonie Bears series has maintained the most consistent quality among domestic animated film franchises over the years. Its expansion from television to movies, merchandise, and theme parks represents a fully developed industrial chain, greatly strengthening the IP's presence in the public consciousness. As for The Immortal Ascension, it's the first time that the animation IP is adapted for the big screen, which naturally generates exceptional attention—especially following the successful live-action web series last year. If this first animated film adaptation succeeds, it has the potential to become a major film IP in its own right," said Hu.
Beyond the reliance on established franchises, another significant creative trend is the growing number of animated films drawing inspiration from China's rich classical literature and historical epics. This approach aims to connect with audiences through deeply rooted cultural narratives.
A leading example is a prominent Chinese animation studio Light Chaser Animation's upcoming "The Three Kingdoms: War 1 Luoyang", which dramatizes the early power struggles from the famed historical period.
"We are seeing a clear increase in animated films adapted from classic Chinese novels and myths. Light Chaser Animation Studios' 'New Culture Series' has performed exceptionally well in our animated film market—for example, 30,000 Miles from Changan earned over 1.8 billion yuan (around 257.98 million U.S. dollars) at the box office. This series has truly succeeded in creatively transforming and innovatively developing China's outstanding traditional culture for the big screen, while also resonating emotionally with today's young audiences through its storytelling and character adaptations," said Hu.
Beyond sequels and adaptations rooted in traditional culture, original animated films are also carving out their space with unique concepts and distinctive styles, showcasing further creative possibilities.
Titles such as Arco, a 2025 animated science-fantasy film, and Pixar's Hoppers exemplify this trend of innovation.
"I believe animated films will remain a major force in the global box office in 2026. The worldwide top-grossing film of 2024 was Inside Out 2, and in 2025 it was China's Ne Zha 2. So I'm confident that animated films will once again rank among the highest-grossing releases globally this year," Hu said.
Animated films set to dominate 2026 global box office with strong lineup
