Over 50% of the Spring Festival box office revenue comes from third- and fourth-tier cities

According to online platform data, the total box office revenue (including pre-sales) for the 2026 Spring Festival holiday has exceeded 4 billion yuan. Nowadays, watching movies during the Spring Festival holiday has become a new tradition for more and more grassroots people. As China’s film market continues to develop in depth, the “lower-tier” markets have shown strong consumer potential during the Spring Festival. Data from ticketing platforms indicate that third- and fourth-tier cities have been the main contributors to Spring Festival box office revenue for three consecutive years. In addition to traditional reasons such as films being more aligned with regional preferences, this year’s Spring Festival also featured a new AI ticketing method, making ticket purchasing more convenient. Film data analyst Chen Jin stated, “As of now, third- and fourth-tier cities have contributed 53.72% of this year’s Spring Festival total box office, a significant increase compared to last year, and also the highest contribution rate in history.” (CCTV Finance)