Chinese Viewers Boost 2025 Box Office Through Animated Films and Historical War Dramas as Comedy Films Decline

In 2025, Chinese audiences have shown a clear preference for animation, action, and historical war films, leaving comedies and romantic movies largely ignored. This trend was highlighted during the 7th Hainan Island International Film Festival, where new research on audience satisfaction was presented.

Sun Xianghui, president of the China Film Art Research Center, shared findings from the centers 2025 survey, noting that films like the World War II epic Dead to Rights and the animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 dominated both audience satisfaction ratings and box office earnings.

Mirroring trends observed in Western markets, comedies and romance films failed to make an impact in audience satisfaction rankings. So far in 2025, Chinas domestic box office has reached $6.7 billion, surpassing the $5.8 billion total from 2024. Local films have accounted for roughly 83.8% of this figure, excluding Decembers revenue.

In 2025, global film production is experiencing slower growth, Sun stated, adding that European output is limited and Hollywoods traditional blockbuster model is showing signs of fatigue. Despite this, hits like Zootopia 2 and the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash suggest strong audience engagement in China. Zootopia 2 has already earned $393 million domestically, surpassing its North American earnings of $187 million, underscoring the influence of Chinese audiences on international box office performance.

Hainan is positioning itself as a hub for international film production, leveraging its imminent status as a Free Trade Port. Film authorities announced incentives including living subsidies of up to RMB 1 million ($141,000) for top domestic talent, RMB 200,000500,000 ($28,000$70,700) for international professionals, and visa-free access for personnel from 86 countries.

The Free Trade Port designation will also offer zero tariffs on imported film production equipment, income tax benefits for foreign high-level talent, and the ability for post-production and visual effects companies to operate as wholly foreign-owned enterprises, encouraging global investment and collaboration.

Author: Riley Thompson