China's theater industry generated a total box office revenue of 5.4 billion yuan (about 750 million U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2025, according to the Association of Performing Arts on Monday.
The latest official data released by the association indicated that the professional theaters and other performance spaces across China hosted about 160,500 performances in the first six months of this year, drawing more than 20.55 million trips of audience.
Play maintained its dominant position among all performance categories, with the number of performances increasing 16 percent year on year and box office revenue growing three percent year on year, according to the data.
In the January-June period, stand-up comedy emerged as the second-largest performance category of the theater industry, with the number of performances surging 54.1 percent year on year and the box office revenue skyrocketing 134.9 percent.
The dance performance and the musical theater markets also experienced steady growth, with a series of acclaimed productions capturing widespread attention beyond traditional theatergoers.
China's theater industry revenue hits 5.4 billion yuan in H1
