Chongqing - Domestic films dominate the charts and roll out worldwide, while cinemas reinvent themselves as venues for museum tie-ins, history tours and live sports.
China's total box office for 2026, including presales, passed 31 billion yuan (about 4.63 billion USD) as of Oct. 11. More than 400 films have been released this year, ranging from comedies and action films to sci-fi, mystery and animation, and drawing crowds across every major holiday season from New Year's Day to the recently ended Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays.
Spectators line up for ticket check next to a poster of the film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" at a cinema in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 24, 2026. (Photo/Li Ziheng, Xinhua)
The wider film industry is also growing. Estimates put the industry chain's total output value this year at more than 480 billion yuan.
Domestic hits dominate the charts and go global with expanding overseas releases
Chinese films have dominated this year's charts, taking eight of the top 10 box-office spots. Among them are Pegasus 3, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East, Kung Fu Soccer, All Wishes Come True!, Dear You, Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert, Scare Out and Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector.
Nine films have earned more than 1 billion yuan each so far this year. Once Upon a Time in the Middle East, All Wishes Come True! and Dear You have also won rare critical acclaim for domestic releases in recent years.
Chinese films are also reaching more audiences abroad. Several of this year's hits have already been released overseas, and National Day releases are following. Traces of Justice opens on Oct. 15 in Singapore, Germany, China’s Hong Kong and Macao, and in Malaysia on Oct. 22. It will reach Britain, Ireland, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand by the end of October, with South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Cambodia to follow.
Go for Broke 2 opens on Oct. 15 in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. It will be released in Britain and Ireland on Oct. 16 and in the United States and Canada on Oct. 23. Mr. & Mrs. Pardon will soon be released in North America, Australia and New Zealand.
Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has also been selected as the Chinese mainland's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.
Beyond the big screen: cinemas reinvent themselves as cultural and social venues
Cinemas across China are also expanding what a trip to the movies can mean, turning screens into hubs for culture, socializing, entertainment and shopping.
In Shenyang, Liaoning province, visitors can spend the morning looking at national treasures at the Liaoning Provincial Museum and the afternoon at the Liaoning Science and Technology Museum. In the evening, they can watch a film on an IMAX GT screen. Traveling to a city "just for a screen" has become a new draw for tourism.
This photo, taken on May 20, 2026, shows a poster of the Chinese film "Dear You" on an electronic screen of a cinema in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, northeast China. (Photo/Xinhua)
In Qingdao, Shandong province, the Old Sound Nostalgia Museum now screens films such as Dear You. After the screenings, audiences can browse vintage radios and record players.
In Beijing, events marking the 90th anniversary of the end of the Red Army's Long March invite people to "retrace the Long March through film." Visitors to the Museum of the Communist Party of China can view the exhibition and then watch Long March-themed films at a cinema on the museum grounds.
Cinemas are also screening live sports. Just before National Day, more than 100 cinemas began showing live broadcasts of the 2026 China Open tennis tournament, the first time the event has been screened in Chinese theaters.
From record-setting hits at home to new releases abroad and screens that now host museum tours and tennis matches, Chinese cinema is upgrading across the entire industry chain, both on screen and off.