BUSINESS

China’s Qingming Holiday Box Office Falls 19%

Published: Apr. 7, 2026 3:08 p.m. GMT+8

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A poster for "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" in Yichang, Hubei province, on April 1, 2026. Photo: VCG

China’s Qingming holiday box office fell sharply from a year earlier despite more new releases, more screenings and cheaper tickets, underscoring the lack of a breakout hit to draw moviegoers back to theaters after the Lunar New Year.

China’s cinemas generated 305 million yuan ($44.3 million) in ticket sales during the three-day Qingming holiday from April 4 to April 6, down 19% from a year earlier, according to data from the official China Movie Database. Moviegoing attendance fell 13.8% to 8 million, according to domestic box office tracker Maoyan, even as the number of screenings rose by 40,000 and average ticket prices dropped by 2 yuan.

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China's Qingming box office: 305M yuan ($44.3M), down 19% YoY; attendance 8M, down 13.8% despite +40K screenings, -2 yuan tickets.
Top film: "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" (63.2M yuan, 20.7%); imported animation leads 5th straight year; no title over 100M yuan.
Domestic "It's OK" grossed 47.9M holiday (cumulative >80M); 13 new releases but no breakout hit.

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Who’s Who

Maoyan: Maoyan, a domestic box office tracker, reported that moviegoing attendance during China's Qingming holiday (April 4-6) fell 13.8% to 8 million, despite more screenings.

Universal Pictures: Universal Pictures released "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie", the top-grossing film during China's Qingming holiday (April 4-6), earning 63.2 million yuan (20.7% of total sales). It follows last year's champion, "A Minecraft Movie".

Nintendo: Nintendo's "Super Mario" franchise inspired "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie," Universal's top-grossing film during China's Qingming holiday (April 4-6). It earned 63.2 million yuan ($9.2 million), accounting for 20.7% of total ticket sales. Imported animation like this has dominated the holiday box office for five straight years.

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