China's 2025 summer box office revenue has soared past 10 billion yuan (about 1.39 billion U.S. dollars), driven by diverse film releases, government movie vouchers, and booming sales of film-related merchandise.
Data from the China Movie Database highlights robust growth across both first-tier and lower-tier markets. While major cities reclaimed a larger portion of ticket sales, films such as "Dead to Rights" sparked renewed interest in third- and fourth-tier cities. Nationwide, local movie vouchers further boosted audience enthusiasm, fueling the season's momentum.
In east China's Zhejiang Province, a large-scale voucher campaign launched on July 10 distributed over 36.8 million yuan in subsidies, the highest in recent years. The initiative will run until June 2026. From August 1 to 15, Zhejiang's box office reached 275 million yuan, an 85.81 percent year-on-year increase.
"With more high-quality films and the support of vouchers, our average daily attendance in the latter half of this summer rose by about 30 percent compared to earlier weeks," said Chai Min, a marketing manager at a cinema in Hangzhou.
Beyond ticket sales, film-related merchandise has emerged as another key growth engine. In Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province, a pop-up store for the animated film "Nobody" drew large crowds.
Plush toys tied to the film sold over 10,000 units within three days of release, with restocks still falling short of demand.
"Our products were officially launched in July, and so far, sales have already exceeded 40,000 units. The popularity surge following the movie release has been particularly noticeable, significantly boosting the overall performance of our store," said Yang Ting, brand director for the film's peripheral products.
The movie "Nobody" franchise exemplifies China's push toward integrated IP development.
Even before the film's release, dozens of related products—including plush collectibles, stationery gift sets, and puzzle card games—were launched, extending the brand's reach. This "film + merchandise" model has strengthened revenue diversification and showcased the cultural and commercial potential of creative IPs.
Local productions dominated the top three spots for this summer, according to ticketing platforms Maoyan and Beacon.
"Dead to Rights," a film about the Nanjing Massacre during World War II, leads with 2.6 billion yuan (about 362.01 million U.S. dollars) in ticket sales since its July 25 release.
In second place is "Nobody," a spinoff from the acclaimed "Yao-Chinese Folktales" animation series. Since opening on Aug. 2, the film has earned more than 1 billion yuan (about 139.23 million U.S. dollars), setting a record for the highest-grossing two-dimensional animated release in China.
"The Lychee Road," a bittersweet period drama adapted from a bestselling novel set in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), holds third place, having grossed over 670 million yuan (about 93.29 million U.S. dollars) since its July 18 premiere.
China's summer moviegoing season, running from June 1 through Aug. 31, is one of the country's most lucrative box office periods.
China's summer box office surpasses 10 bln yuan, fueling IP consumption
