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Xinyi Wu

China’s Labour Day holiday box office has posted sluggish results despite a wave of new releases, as cautious consumer spending continued to weigh on the world’s second-largest film market.
Cinemas had raked in 759 million yuan (US$111.1 million) over the five-day holiday, which ended on Tuesday, according to Chinese box office data tracker Beacon Pro, up slightly from 2025’s 748 million yuan but about half the levels recorded in both the two preceding years and the pre-pandemic period.
The lacklustre showing came despite a more crowded release window, with about a dozen new titles debuting compared with nine last year.
Among the high-profile releases were Hong Kong crime thriller Cold War 1994, featuring a star-studded cast led by Chow Yun-fat and Tony Leung Ka-fai, and The Devil Wears Prada 2, which topped several pre-holiday polls as the most anticipated title of the season.
The Hollywood sequel, however, drew a disappointing turnout following backlash over its portrayal of the minor Asian character Jin Chao, taking in only 58 million yuan and ranking third at the box office.
Critics on social media had accused the film of reinforcing “nerdy” Asian stereotypes and giving the character a name phonetically similar to a racial slur, dampening audience interest.
Meanwhile, Chinese suspense thriller Vanishing Point led the holiday box office, grossing 264 million yuan.
Despite the subdued performance overall, analysts at China Securities said a gradual recovery in the film market could take place over the summer.
“There will be a large supply of imported blockbusters,” they wrote in a report published before the holidays, adding that this could help boost revenue.
Several high-profile American films are slated for release in the coming months, including Steven Spielberg’s science fiction epic Disclosure Day, Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a new Marvel Spider-Man instalment and sequels to major animated franchises such as Minions.
The summer season is also expected to see the theatrical debut of China’s first artificial-intelligence-generated features, the China Securities analysts wrote.
Before the Labour Day holiday, China’s box office revenue for the year stood at just 12.85 billion yuan – nearly 50 per cent lower than in the same period in 2025, the analysts noted.


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Film & TV

Cold War 1994 and The Devil Wears Prada 2 were tipped to shine in a crowded release window – but many consumers chose to stay away


Cold War 1994 and The Devil Wears Prada 2 were tipped to shine in a crowded release window – but many consumers chose to stay away.


China’s Labour Day box office underwhelms as consumer spending stays cautious

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Cold War 1994 and The Devil Wears Prada 2 were tipped to shine in a crowded release window – but many consumers chose to stay away

Cold War 1994 and The Devil Wears Prada 2 were tipped to shine in a crowded release window – but many consumers chose to stay away