Disney’s “Zootopia 2” remained the top Chinese movie for the weekend of January 16-18, as the market continued to soften ahead of the Lunar New Year.
According to Artisan Gateway, the animated sequel added RMB 36.2 million ($5.1 million), bringing its total box office revenue to RMB 4.37 billion ($615.2 million). Although its weekly box office numbers have declined, the film continues to be one of the strongest holds on the market nearly eight weeks after its release.
Maoyan Movie’s crime thriller “The Fire Raven” remained in second place with $5 million, raising its total to $51.3 million. Directed and written by Sam Quah, the film stars Peng Yu-chan, Alan Aruna and Zhang Ning, and follows the reopening of a long-dormant murder case, exposing a broader network of corruption and revenge.
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash came in third with $4.3 million. The 20th Century Studios release grossed $153.4 million in China.
Debuting in fourth place was Maoyan Movie’s “Take Off,” which opened with $2.8 million in its opening weekend and a cumulative total of $2.9 million. Directed by Song Pengfei and based on Shuang Xuetao’s novella “Aviator,” the drama stars Jiang Qiming and Li Xueqin and follows a factory worker in northeastern China who becomes obsessed with the dream of building a handmade flying machine.
Rounding out the top five was Huace Film & TV’s “Back to the Past,” which earned $2.2 million for a total of $38 million. The feature film adaptation of Hong Kong broadcaster TVB’s 2001 historical science fiction series A Step Into the Past is produced by Louis Koo’s One Cool Film Productions, with Koo serving as producer. The project reunites the main cast of the original television series 24 years after its original broadcast. Khoo co-stars with Raymond Lam, Jessica Shuang, Sonya Kwok, Joyce Tan and Michelle Salam, all reprising their original roles. New cast members include Bai Baihe, Michael Miu, and Louis Zhang. This film will be the last screen appearance of the late Dick Liu Kai-chi.
The total box office revenue for the weekend reached $24.4 million, bringing China’s total box office revenue for 2026 to $201.8 million, 0.1% higher than the same period last year.
