Avatar: Fire and Ash Photo: VCG

The Chinese mainland's New Year film period has delivered its strongest performance in eight years, as ticket sales for the season, including pre-sales, had reached 5 billion yuan ($711 million) on Sunday, according to data from ticketing platform Maoyan.

This feature has underscored both the growing strength of domestic productions and the continued pull of outstanding Hollywood blockbusters in the world's second-largest movie market, Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Leading the box office by a wide margin is Disney's animated sequel Zootopia 2, which had grossed more than 3.96 billion yuan domestically as of on Sunday, accounting for the bulk of the season's revenue. The film is followed by Avatar: Fire and Ash, which ranks second, and the Chinese war drama Gezhi Town in third.

The New Year season has been marked by its unprecedented breadth. More than 70 Chinese and international films were released during the period, setting a new record in recent years. Genres spanned historical epics, suspense thrillers, documentaries, family dramas, fantasy, and public-interest films, a notable departure from the traditional dominance of comedies and family-oriented fare.

"The phenomenon reflects the rise in strength of Chinese films, with diversified themes becoming a key driving force," said Zhang. 

"At the same time, the strong ­performance of Hollywood blockbusters like Zootopia 2 demonstrates Chinese audiences' strong demand for high-quality content and the enduring attractiveness of the Chinese market."

Domestic films accounted for more than 80 percent of the Chinese mainland's total box office in 2025, and nearly 90 percent of ticket sales during the New Year season, according to CCTV News. Several so-called "nontraditional" holiday releases also gained attention.

Among them were the domestic war film Gezhi Town starring actor Xiao Zhan and the hostage thriller Escape From The Outland. Directed by Shen Ao, known for films such as Dead to Rights, the latter movie is scheduled for its official release on Wednesday.

This kind of flourishing diversity is an inevitable result of industry development and the growth of audience tastes, Zhang noted. "As the market continues to expand and reach ­lower-tier cities, viewers are no longer satisfied with formulaic storytelling. Demand for differentiation and individuality is becoming increasingly prominent."

Imported titles played an important role at the top of the charts. Zootopia 2 alone accounted for a substantial share of the season's revenue, with its Chinese mainland box office nearly matching half of its global total, far surpassing its North American earnings and keeping it atop worldwide box-office rankings.

Avatar: Fire and Ash also drew attention by breaking with past release strategies and debuting simultaneously in China and the US.

According to Maoyan, this year's New Year season runs from November 28 to December 31, lasting 34 days. Despite being the shortest season since 2020, it has delivered one of the strongest openings in recent memory, fueled largely by the early surge of major imports.

So far, three films have surpassed the 100 million yuan mark during the season. The top two - Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash - are both Hollywood productions, together contributing more than 83 percent of the season's total box office, Lai Li, a market analyst at Maoyan, told the Global Times on Sunday.

With four days remaining before the New Year season concludes, she is closely watching whether total box-office revenue can surpass the all-time record of 5.6 billion yuan set in 2017. Several films are scheduled to debut on Wednesday, December 31, as part of the New Year's Eve release wave, potentially adding further momentum, she added.

According to Zhang, a strong finish could not only set a new seasonal record but also give a final boost to the Chinese mainland's annual box office, reinforcing confidence in the industry's long-term prospects.

Lai echoed the view, saying, "It is hoped that the final days of the year will provide an additional boost to China's overall annual box-office performance."