China’s box office generated about 270 million yuan, or roughly $40.2 million, over the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, according to state broadcaster CGTN. The result reflected a quiet stretch for the world’s second-largest theatrical market as exhibitors and distributors turned their attention to the far busier National Day holiday season that follows close behind on the Chinese calendar. The Mid-Autumn break and the National Day holiday fall near each other this year, and cinema chains often treat the two windows as a single extended run for planning releases.
A re-release led the holiday chart. “Avengers: Endgame Encore,” a Marvel reissue that added footage to the 2019 blockbuster, finished first over the period. The Chinese film “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” placed second, continuing a strong run in local cinemas, and the domestic title “All Wishes Come True” rounded out the top three. Ticket sales stayed subdued across the board, a pattern that has marked much of September in China.
Exhibitors are counting on the National Day break, one of the calendar’s biggest moviegoing windows in the country, to revive receipts. The animated “Peppa Pig: Perfect Holiday,” a China and United Kingdom co-production, led advance ticket sales heading into the holiday. The crime drama “Traces of Justice” and the comedy “Mr. & Mrs. Pardon” were also set to open, giving audiences a broad menu of genres.
“More than 20 Chinese and foreign films have been or are scheduled to be released during the two holidays, covering a variety of genres,” CGTN reported. The lineup ranges from family animation to crime thrillers and comedies, a spread designed to pull younger viewers and families back into theaters after several slow weeks at the domestic box office.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, which honors the harvest moon and is traditionally spent with family, is a modest theatrical window when set against the Lunar New Year and National Day holidays. Homegrown productions have dominated Chinese screens for much of 2026, with imported Hollywood titles generally playing a supporting role. Distributors will watch the National Day figures closely for any sign of momentum heading into the final quarter of the year, when the strength of the domestic slate tends to shape the annual total. A soft holiday can weigh on the full-year comparison, and a strong one can pull it back toward growth.
