The Chinese box office kicked off 2025 with a relatively quiet weekend, grossing $44.3 million – a decrease from the previous weekend’s $68.3 million. However, the cumulative total for the year already stands at $95.9 million, representing a 5.9% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Leading the weekend’s box office was the crime thriller, “Octopus with Broken Arms,” which earned $16.1 million (RMB 117.5 million). This As One Production film, directed by Jacky Gan and starring Xiao Yang, climbed from second place the previous week. The film follows a wealthy businessman whose daughter is kidnapped, and its cumulative total now sits at $74.7 million.
In second place, last week’s top performer, Gengxi Pictures’ “Big World,” added $11.4 million to its total, bringing its cumulative earnings to $77.8 million. Directed by Yang Lina and starring Jackson Yee, this drama portrays a young man with cerebral palsy navigating college exams while assisting his grandmother with a stage play.
Debuting in third place was Maoyan Pictures’ “Honey Money Phony,” earning $7.5 million. Su Biao’s comedy follows a working woman unexpectedly burdened with debt and her intertwined journey with a scammer.
Chengdu Film Group’s “Hot Pot Artist” debuted in fourth place with $1.8 million. Directed by and starring Cui Zhijia, the film tells the story of a man who, after his directing career falters, inherits his father-in-law’s hot pot restaurant.
Rounding out the top five was the anime, “Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capital,” which earned $1.5 million, bringing its cumulative total to $13.8 million. Originally released in Japan in 2003, this Kodama Kenji-directed film features Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori solving a mystery.
Further down the chart, “Paddington in Peru” debuted in sixth place, grossing $3.9 million over its first five days of release (Ent Group data). “Mufasa: The Lion King” sits in eighth place, accumulating $14 million after 17 days in theaters (Ent Group data).
Despite the softer opening weekend, the early numbers suggest a positive trajectory for the Chinese box office in 2025.