Spring Festival box office records shattered, high-quality content boosts offline consumption

As of 6:00 PM on February 23, the total box office for the 2026 Spring Festival film season has exceeded 5.6 billion yuan, setting a new record for the highest total screenings in China’s Spring Festival box office history. As of that day, China’s total annual box office for 2026 has surpassed 8 billion yuan, surpassing North America and temporarily ranking first in global single-market box office. Ma Dai Entertainment Lighthouse Professional Edition data analyst Chen Jin stated that the overall quality of the new films during this Spring Festival season has been recognized by audiences. Starting from the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the box office share in first- and second-tier cities has increased significantly. Positive word-of-mouth has driven a “movie-going return to the city” trend, and several new films from the Spring Festival season are expected to maintain strong box office performance even after the holiday ends. The diverse genres of Spring Festival films, including comedy, action, animation, and science fiction, not only present audiences with a colorful cinematic feast but also inspire viewers to “travel with movies,” boosting offline cultural and tourism consumption. (People’s Financial News)