China Box Office: ‘Ne Zha 2' Leads Again, as New Releases Make Modest Debuts

China's box office for the weekend of March 21–23 saw 'Ne Zha 2' maintaining its dominant position, while new releases made modest debuts.​
'Ne Zha 2' earned RMB85.7 million ($11.9 million) over the weekend, bringing its cumulative total to $2.081 billion, according to Artisan Gateway. In its eighth week, the animated blockbuster continues to captivate audiences. In Imax, 'Ne Zha 2' added $1.8 million globally, a 41% drop from the previous weekend, increasing its global cume in the format to $158.2 million, with $154 million from China alone.​
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Hanna Pictures' 'The River of Fury' debuted in second place with $2 million. Directed by Feng Yongqin, the film is a crime thriller where the mysterious disappearance of a woman is related to a series of murders.
'Detective Chinatown 1900', from As One Production, continued its strong performance, securing third place with $1.9 million. The film's cumulative gross now stands at $492.1 million.
Lian Ray Pictures' 'New Life' opened in fourth place, earning $1.7 million. Directed by Dong Hongjie, the drama follows a lonely worker who befriends a stray dog.
Rounding out the top five, Cinema City (HK)'s re-release of the restored version of the Tsui Hark-produced supernatural romance, 1987 classic 'A Chinese Ghost Story,' earned $1.4 million.
The weekend's total box office reached $24.5 million, a decrease from the previous weekend's $36.1 million. Nevertheless, China's 2025 gross-to-date stands at $3.36 billion, a 53.7% increase over the same period in 2024, highlighting the market's resilience despite a quieter release slate post the bumper Lunar New Year period.
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