Chinese film industry looks to boost subdued cinema sales

As 2025 draws to a close, the Chinese film market in November has been dominated by imported titles, according to industry trackers Maoyan and Beacon.

Currently leading this month's box office is the Japanese animated film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, the first in a trilogy that concludes the story of the highly popular anime series that began in 2019. The film, which revolves around the conflict between demon slayers and demons, has grossed over 463 million yuan ($65.1 million) since its release on Nov 14.

The second-highest-grossing film in November is Now You See Me: Now You Don't, the latest installment in the popular heist franchise starring Hollywood actor Jesse Eisenberg, which has earned 192 million yuan.

In third place is the American sci-fi horror film Predator: Badlands, with earnings exceeding 96 million yuan, followed by the Chinese comedy Row to Win, which has already been in theaters for 52 days.

Due to the lack of appealing blockbusters, the total box office for this month as of Wednesday has reached about 1.37 billion yuan — a 70 percent decrease compared to the same period in October. As a result, many industry insiders are looking to upcoming tentpole releases, such as the award-winning film Resurrection, starring Yi Yangqianxi, and Disney's Zootopia 2, to revive the subdued market.