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In the week between August 25 to 31, 2025, The Shadow's Edge was the highest-grossing movie in China, generating over 320 billion yuan in box office revenue that week. The second place went to ±·´Ç²ú´Ç»å²â,Ìýwith around 193 million yuan of ticket sales in that week. 

How big is the Chinese cinema market?

China is one of the largest cinema markets in the world, just second after the United States and Canada. The proliferation of China’s cinema market coincided with an extensive increase in per capita disposable income. Going to the movies has become a regular part of Chinese leisure activities and consumption, especially among young people. To cope with the demands of an increasingly wealthy population, the number of cinema screens expanded almost four times in the recent decade. 3D movie screens also enjoyed explosive growth between 2007 and 2018. As of 2018, the number of 3D movie screens operated in China accounts for almost half of the global total.

The struggles of overseas movies

China’s film industry is under the direct supervision of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (SARFT). To protect the local movie industry, only a limited number of foreign movies are allowed to be screened in China each year. The quota was set at 34 movies in 2013. Owing to the restriction on foreign films, Hollywood movies are facing more intensive competition against domestic films. Only one Hollywood production remained in the ten highest-grossing movies of all time in China. Foreign movies accounted for about 21 percent of overall ticket sales in the country, showing a gradual downward trend over the recent years.