According to Artisan Gateway, Disney’s “Zootopia 2” returned to top the Chinese box office from January 2 to 4, earning RMB 121.5 million ($17.1 million), bringing the total box office revenue to RMB 4.25 billion ($598 million).
James Cameron’s Avatar: Fire and Ash slipped to second place but remained strong, adding $15.8 million. The threequel has now grossed $136.3 million in China since its Dec. 19 release.
Maoyan Movie’s crime thriller “The Fire Raven” came in third with $11.7 million, bringing its total to $30.3 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.
Huace Film & TV’s “Back to the Past” came in fourth with $11.1 million, opening the box office with $24.1 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.
Rounding out the top five was Paramount’s “The SpongeBob Movie,” which debuted with $2.1 million, bringing its initial total to $4 million.
Overall, the Chinese box office grossed $63.8 million over the weekend. Year-to-date 2026 total sales were $111.4 million, an increase of 32.9% over the same period last year.
