China's box office hit a new year of $1.3 billion.

According to a new report from Maoyan Research Institute, China's film market enjoys a record Chinese New Year, with total box office revenue accounting for an astonishing 9.51 billion yuan (US$1.31 billion) during the seven-day holiday on February 4. 187 million tickets were sold, and the lucrative holiday window set an all-time high during this period.

The figure is likely to surpass the $1.09 billion record in 2024.

IMAX also saw the most successful Lunar New Year, generating $53 million in box office revenue – a 57% increase from the previous record of $34 million in 2023. Premium format exhibitors registered their highest holiday attendance ever, with 5.5 million moviegoers flocking to the IMAX screen.

Leaders accused Enlightenment Media of “NE ZHA 2”, which dominated the competition with a huge sum of $665.7 million, becoming the highest-grossing New Year title in history. The 2019 “Out of Control Animation Hit” sequel also received $36 million in IMAX, the largest opening weekend ever, earning animated films in the format for $22 million.

“The Lunar New Year has unleashed one of the most impressive trends in movies we have seen anywhere in the world in recent years, which has led IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond to say “It's in China The filming adrenaline shots, in due course, have a heavier local language and Hollywood movies in 2025. “

Lagging behind NE ZHA 2, but still releasing strong numbers, “Chinatown 1900” lost $313.2 million, consolidating the “Detective Chinatown” franchise, the first in China to exceed 10 billion in total revenue Yuan (US$1.37 billion) movie IP. Alibaba's fantasy epic “Creation Gods II: Demon Power” won third place for $137.2 million, while Bona's naval thriller “Operation Hadal” earned $2.7 million .

IMAX exceeded its weight throughout the holiday season, accounting for 4.3% of the overall market, although operating only 1% of the country’s screens. The format also has a single-day count of $7.2 million as the holiday deadline, marking the continued momentum of its slate.

“The audience’s message is obvious: IMAX is their first choice,” said Daniel Manwaring, CEO of Imax China. “In viewer preferences ever, IMAX cycling transforms movies into cultural phenomena and social conversation points. We deeply value their brand loyalty and are convinced that we can have the most powerful local language movies in the whole vegetarian diet. One of the momentums in the

Maoyan's report highlights the trend to build IPS in the 2025 Lunar New Year movie. All new movies released during this period are sequels or adaptations of massive IP movies, demonstrating a strong box office appeal.

As Lunar's New Year's success drives its strategy, IMAX will continue to promote its local language sector worldwide. “Creating Gods II: Demon Force” and “Chinatown Detective 1900” were released at IMAX locations in 11 countries and over $1.2 million overseas. Meanwhile, “NE ZHA 2” will be available in Australia and New Zealand starting February 6.

Lunar New Year Slate will continue to perform in the region next month, running with Hollywood tent pupils like Disney's “Captain America: Brave New World” and re-releasing Wong Kar-wai's “Love”.