China's box office revenue on the first day of the May Day holiday exceeded 200 million yuan (about 27.5 million U.S. dollars) by 17:30 Thursday according to box office tracker Dengta Data, including pre-sales and limited previews.
More than 10 new films are released during the May Day holiday this year, ranging from biographies to suspense, from comedy to animation, to meet the needs of different audiences.
In the cinema hall of a movie theater in Lianyungang City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, promotional posters and trailers of movies were shown in a loop on the first day of the holiday. Local residents, either with their families or with friends, were happily waiting for the movies to start.
"II come here today to watch the movie 'The Open Door', because I like comedies, and it happens to be about some of the current chaos in livestreaming," said a moviegoer.
In order to meet the demand for movie-watching during the May Day holiday, cinemas have generally increased the number of screenings.
"During the prime time, from 13:00 to 17:00, the basic occupancy rate can reach more than 80 percent, and that of the non-prime time period is around 45 percent, both showing a significant increase compared with the Qingming Festival period," said Wu Le, duty manager of the cinema.
Among all domestic new releases during the holiday period, two featured comedies have garnered high expectations. "I Grass, I Love" offers a hilarious road trip featuring a truck driver and his young companion, while "The Open Door" is a satire on the chaos of livestreaming and the influencer industry.
Suspense-action films, a traditional staple of the May Day movie market, are represented by "A Gilded Game", a thriller centered on a financial crime, as well as "Trapped", inspired by true events.
Among drama films, "The Dumpling Queen," based on the true story of an underprivileged woman's rise as an entrepreneur, has stood out since the pre-sale.
Animated films for family and children include "Happy Heroes: Rebel Rescue" and "Octonauts: The Crisis of the Tsunami".
China’s May Day holiday box office surpasses 200 mln yuan
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
