Chinese New Year Rules Global Weekend B.O. As ‘Pegasus 3’ Fuels Near $400M; ‘GOAT’ Leaps To $102M+ WW – Update
#Chinese New Year#Box office#Pegasus 3#Global cinema#Hollywood vs China#Imax performance#Film industry#GOAT
📌 Key Takeaways
Chinese films dominated global box office during Chinese New Year
Pegasus 3 led with $392.9M since Tuesday
Top five Chinese films generated over $738M
Imax recorded $25.2M from Chinese films
GOAT crossed $102M globally with strong international performance
📖 Full Retelling
Chinese films dominated the global box office during the recent Chinese New Year period, with racing car movie 'Pegasus 3' leading the charge with $392.9 million since Tuesday, Feb. 17, according to industry estimates released on Sunday, Feb. 23. The holiday period, which ran from Tuesday through Monday, saw Chinese language films collectively generate over $738 million, overshadowing Hollywood releases like Warner Bros/MRC's 'Wuthering Heights,' which ranked fourth globally with $40.5 million. The performance highlights the growing influence of Chinese cinema on the global stage, particularly during major cultural holidays. Imax reported significant earnings from Chinese films, with $25.2 million from the top three Chinese releases alone, including $21.7 million from 'Pegasus 3,' marking the highest grossing result for the franchise in the large format. Meanwhile, Sony Pictures Animation's 'GOAT' crossed the $102 million global mark with $58.3 million domestic and $44 million from 51 international markets, showing strong performance in new territories like Germany where it opened at number one with $2.2 million.
🏷️ Themes
Global box office, Chinese cinema dominance, Holiday performance, International market trends
A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is frequently used, especially in the context of the film industry,...
Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture and was placed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2024. Marking the end of win...
This demonstrates China's box office dominance during its peak holiday season, generating nearly $400M for a single film and overshadowing Hollywood releases. The performance highlights the massive scale and commercial power of the Chinese film market, which operates on a different seasonal cycle than the Western industry.
Context & Background
Chinese New Year holiday period from February 17-23 drove massive box office
Pegasus 3 earned $392.9M in China, becoming top global weekend film
Hollywood's Wuthering Heights placed fourth globally with $40.5M
Chinese films dominated top five spots with estimated $738M combined
What Happens Next
Maoyan will release official Chinese New Year box office figures on Tuesday providing final totals. Several major markets including Australia and China are still awaiting releases for Sony's GOAT film in March and April, which will contribute to its ongoing global performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the highest grossing film during Chinese New Year?
Pegasus 3 was the highest grossing film with $392.9M in China during the holiday period.
How did Hollywood films perform compared to Chinese releases?
Hollywood's Wuthering Heights ranked fourth globally with $40.5M, significantly behind the top Chinese films.
What is the significance of the IMAX earnings mentioned?
Pegasus 3 generated $21.7M from IMAX screens, the highest result for the franchise in the large format.
Original Source
SUNDAY PM: Figures updated from AM. Maoyan will be releasing their Chinese New Year box office figure on Tuesday, the holiday weighed from Tuesday, Feb. 17 through Monday, Feb. 23. Industry estimates have the top five pics in the Middle Kingdom minting over $738M . As we told you earlier, this weekend’s global box office was always China ‘s to win, not Hollywood. Though the second weekend of Warner Bros/MRC’s Wuthering Heights did $40.5M WW , it ranked fourth at the worldwide weekend against China’s racing car movie Pegasus 3 (Comscore weekend $152.1M /Maoyan reported cume since Tuesday of ($392.9M/2.691B RmB) which was No. 1. That’s all from China. Imax portion was $21.7M which is the large format exhibitor’s highest grossing result for the franchise. Pegasus 3 is the biggest Chinese language film since last year’s animated phenomenon Ne Zha 2 which debuted to RMB 3.12B ($430.3M, not accounting for inflation and currency swings) last year (that sequel finaled at $2.2 billion in China, the highest grossing animated movie ever). On a weekend basis, Comscore is calling the feature take of Chinese manga Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert in second with $50.8M and that’s from eight territories, largely driven by the Middle Kingdom and including $478K from its limited release over the weekend in the U.S. at 184 sites. Maoyan reports that the 6-day cume for the Jet Li and Wu Jing movie is $105M/719M RmB . Imax’s haul for the Super Lion movie was $3M. Watch on Deadline Comscore is calling the opening weekend of Zhang Yimou’s spy thriller Scare Out in third with $41.4M from six territories. Maoyan says that the pic’s Chinese gross stands at ( $117.6M / 806M RmB) since Tuesday. Imax hubs did $500K. All in from the trio of features, Imax’s Chinese New Year rang in at $25.2M. Add in monies from Wuthering Heights and EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert and the Rich Gelfond led exhibitor did $25.2M . Wuthering Heights $40.5M second frame in 77 markets was comprised of ...
