‘Pegasus 3’ Dominates China’s Spring Festival Box Office, Pushing Market to Record Heights
China’s film market has poured in massive box office revenue over the Spring Festival holiday, with the homegrown hit “Pegasus 3” leading the charge and propelling the market to one of its strongest seasonal performances ever.
According to film industry data, total box office revenue during the nine-day Spring Festival holiday has reached about 5.75 billion yuan (≈ $830 million), with more than 120 million tickets sold nationwide, an indicator of strong audience turnout and renewed cinema enthusiasm. “Pegasus 3,” a popular racing-comedy, accounted for nearly half of that total with an enormous 2.9 billion yuan in ticket sales, making it the top performer of the holiday season.
Trailing behind were other major releases: “Scare Out,” a spy thriller directed by Zhang Yimou, earned close to 868 million yuan, and “Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert” pulled in an impressive 806 million yuan. Animated and family films such as “Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector” also contributed significantly to the festive box office haul, showing strong diversity in tastes.
China’s performance this year has helped the national box office momentarily surpass North America in total revenue for 2026, marking a milestone in global film markets. The strong showing, powered by a mix of domestic blockbusters and holiday moviegoing tradition, highlights the importance of the Spring Festival season in shaping year-long industry trends.
With “Pegasus 3” at the forefront and several high-grossing releases across genres, China’s 2026 Spring Festival box office has emerged as a major global entertainment event, underlining the continuing strength and cultural significance of cinema during the holiday period.
