The 2025 Lunar New Year film season officially began on November 28th. This cinematic feast, running until December 31st, features a variety of genres including suspense, heartwarming dramas, action, and science fiction. According to Maoyan Professional Edition data, as of 2:00 PM on December 12th, the box office for the 2025 Lunar New Year season has reached 3.33 billion yuan. Additionally, statistics from the National Film Administration show that as of 2:30 PM on December 13th, China’s total box office revenue for 2025 has hit 50.003 billion yuan, with a total of 1.194 billion admissions.

Amid this nationwide movie-going fervor, Chongqing not only ranks among the top cities nationally with its strong box office performance but also adds distinct highlights to the season through the solid performance of the locally-shot art film “Wild Times” and its burgeoning technology-driven film and television industry.

Top Films Lead the Pack, Intense Competition in the Season

This year’s Lunar New Year season competition is particularly fierce. Disney’s sequel “Zootopia 2,” released domestically on November 26th, has not only broken multiple records for imported animated films in Chinese box office history but also leads the season’s chart with a commanding 2.8 billion yuan in box office revenue. Professional platforms like Maoyan and Dengta both predict its final box office could exceed 4 billion yuan. This sequel, nine years in the making, has become the top choice for audiences of all ages, thanks to its grand ecosystem featuring 67 animal species and 178 independent characters, along with its exceptionally realistic visual presentation of details like snake scale gloss and otter fur.

Among domestic films, the war-themed movie “Crafting in Spare Time,” a collaboration between director Kong Sheng and screenwriter Lan Xiaolong, has performed remarkably, earning over 240 million yuan in its first week. The star-studded cast led by actors Xiao Zhan and Peng Yuchang, combined with a tight narrative about the War of Resistance, has made the film a popular choice for domestic releases in December. The film eschews grand battle scenes, instead focusing on the story of a fitter named Mo Dexian who uses traditional mortise and tenon joinery techniques to resist Japanese scouts, grounding patriotic sentiment in specific emotional weight.

“Avatar 3,” set for release on December 19th, is another highly anticipated blockbuster for the latter half of the season, boasting upgraded naked-eye 3D technology and a new adventure story on Pandora. However, its 195-minute runtime raises concerns about scheduling. In an era impacted by short videos and mini-dramas, whether audiences can stay in theaters for over three hours heavily tests the film’s narrative control. Nevertheless, with less than a week until its release, the number of users marking “want to see” on the Maoyan platform has exceeded 800,000, demonstrating the film’s strong appeal.

Under the siphon effect of these top films, medium and low-budget films and classic re-releases are finding their own niches. The suspense film “Hidden Kill” starring Peng Yuchang, Zhang Junning, and Huang Xiaoming, the realistic absurdist comedy “My Most Special Friend” starring Zhang Songwen, and “Wild Times,” among others, attract specific audience segments with their differentiated themes. The re-release of restored classics like “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale” and “Mountains May Depart” injects cultural depth into the season, satisfying cinephiles’ nostalgia. The competition among diverse genres ensures audiences with different preferences can find films to their liking, forming a solid foundation for the season’s continuously rising box office.

Movie-Going Frenzy in Full Swing, Cinema Operations Revitalized

As one of the core cities in the western film market, Chongqing has maintained the strong momentum from the Spring Festival season into this Lunar New Year season.

Data shows that during the 2025 Spring Festival season, Chongqing ranked fourth nationally with a box office of 213 million yuan and 4.468 million admissions. This heat has carried over into the Lunar New Year season, with occupancy rates at major cinemas in Chongqing continuing to climb. So far, the box office for the 2025 Lunar New Year season in the Chongqing region has exceeded 78 million yuan, with 2.066 million admissions.

On the evening of December 12th, queues formed at the self-service ticket kiosks of the UME Cinema (Times Paradise Walk branch), and there were also many moviegoers gathered at the MixC Cinema (Chongqing MixC branch). “Since the release of ‘Zootopia 2,’ weekend

Chongqing

Chongqing is a major city in southwestern China, historically known as a strategic port and wartime capital during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). Today, it is a sprawling megacity and a key economic hub, famous for its dramatic mountainous setting, spicy hotpot cuisine, and as the gateway to the Three Gorges on the Yangtze River.

Wild Times

“Wild Times” is a family-friendly wildlife park and zoo located in Woburn, England. It was established in the 1970s as part of the Woburn Safari Park complex, offering visitors up-close encounters with a variety of animals in a more intimate setting than the main drive-through safari. The park focuses on education and conservation, allowing guests to learn about and interact with species from around the world.

Zootopia 2

“Zootopia 2” is not a real-world place or cultural site, but the announced sequel to Disney’s 2016 animated film *Zootopia*. The film is set in the fictional metropolis where anthropomorphic animals live together, and while its specific plot is not yet public, it will continue to explore themes of diversity and inclusion within its modern animal city.

Crafting in Spare Time

“Crafting in Spare Time” is not a specific physical place or cultural site, but rather a general concept or hobbyist practice. It refers to the act of creating handmade items, such as knitting, woodworking, or pottery, during one’s leisure hours. Historically, such crafts have roots in domestic traditions and folk arts, often passed down through generations as practical skills or creative pastimes.

Avatar 3

“Avatar 3” is not a real-world place or cultural site, but the upcoming third film in James Cameron’s science fiction film series. Set to be released in December 2025, it continues the story of the Sully family on the fictional moon of Pandora, exploring new regions and cultures of its indigenous Na’vi people. As a work of fiction, it has no historical background, but it builds upon the environmental and colonial themes established in the previous films.

Hidden Kill

“Hidden Kill” does not correspond to a widely recognized historical place or cultural site. It is possible the name refers to a specific local landmark, a work of fiction, or a mistranslation. For an accurate summary, please verify the correct name or provide additional context.

My Most Special Friend

“My Most Special Friend” does not refer to a widely recognized historical place or cultural site. It appears to be a personal or poetic title, possibly for a private location, a work of art, or a piece of literature. Without a specific, known cultural context, it is not possible to provide a historical summary.

Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale

“Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale” is a 2011 Taiwanese historical drama film directed by Wei Te-sheng. It depicts the 1930 Wushe Incident, a major uprising led by Seediq Aboriginal people against Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan. The film focuses on the Seediq’s struggle to preserve their culture, land, and dignity, culminating in a violent rebellion and its tragic aftermath.