China’s theatrical market cooled further in the January 9-11 slot, with Disney’s “Zootopia 2” retaining the top spot for the second consecutive week after regaining pole position last week.
According to Artisan Gateway, “Zootopia 2” added RMB 49.1 million ($6.9 million), bringing the total to RMB 4.31 billion ($607.2 million).
Maoyan Movie’s crime thriller “The Fire Raven” held a close second place with $6.8 million. The film continued to show solid traction, reaching a cumulative box office gross of $42.3 million less than two weeks after its release. 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 sci-fi blockbuster “Avatar: Fire and Ashes” moved into third place with $6.5 million over the weekend. The 20th Century Studios release has now grossed $146.6 million in China.
Huace Film & TV’s “Back to the Past” came in fourth place with $4.9 million, bringing its total gross to $33.7 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 Chuanqiren Media’s family drama “Unexpected Family,” which raked in $900,000 and has $5.5 million to date. The comedy-drama, co-written and directed by Li Taiyan, tells the story of a young man who leaves his small town for Beijing and becomes involved with an old man with Alzheimer’s disease who he mistakes for his son. The film stars Jackie Chan, Peng Yuchang, Zhang Jianning, and Pan Binlong.
Overall, the Chinese box office grossed $31.6 million over the weekend. Year-to-date trading value in 2026 reached $162.4 million, up 9.9% from the same period last year, but the market is clearly settling into a quieter post-festival rhythm as it looks ahead to next month’s Lunar New Year holiday, when some big-ticket tickets are expected to go on sale.
