Maoyan Entertainment

Thirteen films have been scheduled for the 2026 National Day holiday period, running from October 1 to October 7, spanning genres including comedy, science fiction, crime, suspense, romance, and animation. As of press time, total box office for new National Day releases, including pre-sales and preview screenings, is approaching 35 million yuan. The crime suspense film Detective's Trace, directed by Chen Sicheng, tops the pre-sales chart with over 10.5 million yuan. The film is produced by New Classics Media, a subsidiary of China Literature, and Maoyan Entertainment, with China Film among the co-producers. Peppa Pig's Perfect Holiday, The Couple Who Meant What, and Rebirth 2 rank second, third, and fourth in pre-sales respectively. Topu Consulting forecasts total box office for the seven-day National Day period at around 1.28 billion yuan. Because two major films are scheduled for release on October 3 and October 5 respectively, box office during the period is expected to fluctuate in waves. Looking back at recent years, the 2019 National Day holiday set a historical peak of 4.466 billion yuan, followed by 4.388 billion yuan in 2021, a drop to 1.497 billion yuan in 2022, a rebound to 2.735 billion yuan in 2023, and 1.835 billion yuan last year. In addition, Bona Film Group announced that its first AI hyper-realistic theatrical film, Sanxingdui: Future Memories, is officially set for nationwide release on October 23. The film runs 100 minutes and is the first theatrical film in China produced using AI technology to receive a public screening permit from the National Film Administration.

The animated film 'Eight Immortals!' has become the biggest dark horse of the summer season. Public information shows that the film's production companies include Tianjin Maoyan Culture Media, Ruyi Film Entertainment, Shanghai Ruyi Film and Television Production, China Film Group, and more than ten other companies. According to Tianyancha, the production entities involve listed companies such as China Film, Ruyi Film, and Maoyan Entertainment's subsidiary Tianjin Maoyan Culture Media.

On July 16, the film and cinema sector saw renewed activity, with Ruyi Films hitting the daily limit up for a second straight session, Huanrui Century surging by the daily limit, and Enlight Media, Beijing Culture, and Hengdian Entertainment rising in sympathy. On the news front, China's total box office for 2026, including presales, has exceeded 19 billion yuan, with the summer season box office, including presales, topping 3.3 billion yuan. Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Women's Soccer, released on July 11, quickly boosted market enthusiasm, with over 226,000 screenings on its opening day, setting a new record for the highest number of opening-day screenings for a summer release in Chinese film history. China Film stated it did not invest in the film, retaining only a producer credit and serving as a co-distributor, with related revenue expected to be minimal. Ruyi Films and Enlight Media also confirmed they did not participate in the investment. A research note from Tianfeng Securities noted that the summer season rally has officially begun, with Maoyan raising its forecast for total mainland box office to over 2.5 billion yuan. A report from Wanlian Securities argued that the summer box office has ample elasticity, and production and distribution companies holding top films will benefit directly.