2026 Spring Festival Box Office Surpasses 4.6 Billion Yuan, These Listed Companies Benefit

According to Maoyan Professional Edition data, the total box office (including pre-sales) for the 2026 Spring Festival release exceeded 4.6 billion yuan, with “Flying Life 3,” “Silent Chilling,” and “Dartman: Winds Rise in the Desert” ranking in the top three.

Additionally, data from online platforms show that in 2026, China’s film market accumulated over $970 million in box office revenue, surpassing North America and currently ranking as the world’s top single-market box office.

With the popularity of “Flying Life 3,” actor Shen Teng’s starring films have surpassed 39.3 billion yuan in total box office, topping the leading actor box office chart. Wu Jing and Liu Haoran follow closely. Currently, the predicted box office for “Flying Life 3” is 4.275 billion yuan, and Shen Teng is expected to become the first actor whose starring film surpasses 40 billion yuan in box office revenue.

Market Penetration

According to Securities Times, as the “longest Spring Festival release in history,” the nine-day holiday provides ample opportunity for box office growth. From the perspective of individual film box office performance, the market shows a pattern of “one dominant film with multiple strong contenders,” with significant contributions from leading films. Industry chain listed companies are deeply involved, and multi-film strategies by top film companies have become the norm.

CICC’s research report predicts that the total box office for this year’s Spring Festival release may range between 6.5 billion and 8.5 billion yuan, with the performance of top films having a significant impact on the final box office results.

Maoyan Professional Edition data shows that the average ticket price for films during this year’s Spring Festival was 48.5 yuan, down from 50.8 yuan during last year’s Spring Festival, hitting a five-year low. This reduction in ticket prices has lowered the barrier to entry for viewers and stimulated consumer demand.

The decline in ticket prices has especially energized the lower-tier markets. Film data analyst Chen Jin stated that so far, third- and fourth-tier cities contributed 53.72% of the total box office during this year’s Spring Festival, a significant increase compared to last year, and the highest contribution rate in history. Additionally, according to Lighthouse Professional Edition’s “2026 Spring Festival Mid-to-Late Market Observation,” in the first four days after “Flying Life 3” was released, the box office share in fourth-tier cities was 29.18%, 30.58%, 31.87%, and 32.16%, respectively, indicating ongoing market penetration.

Who is the biggest winner?

The competition during the Spring Festival is essentially a battle among film capital. In 2026, multiple films involved publicly listed film companies, including Enlight Media, China Film, Hengdian Film, Happy Blue Ocean, Bona Film Group, Jinyi Media, Shanghai Film, Wanda Film, and Perfect World, among others.

(Source: 21st Century Business Herald)