Foreign Media: China's May Day Film Box Office Performs Poorly, Consumers Tighten Their Wallets, and Viewing Intentions Remain Low
In 2026, the national box office revenue during the May Day holiday (5 days) reached approximately 759 million RMB (about 111.1 million USD), a slight increase from 748 million RMB in the same period of 2025. However, this figure represents only about half of the levels seen in the previous two years and pre-pandemic periods. Despite around 12 films being released during this year’s May Day lineup—exceeding last year’s 9 films—the box office performance remained disappointing, reflecting consumers’ continued cautious spending mindset.
Two highly anticipated films failed to deliver satisfactory results. The Hong Kong crime film *Cold War 1994*, starring renowned actors including Chow Yun-fat and Li Jia-ren, boasted an impressive cast. Meanwhile, the Hollywood sequel *The Devil Wears Prada 2* ranked first in multiple pre-holiday polls as the most anticipated movie. Yet, it only earned 58 million RMB at the box office, placing third in the season. The main reason was strong backlash from Chinese netizens over the portrayal of the Asian supporting character "Jin Chao"—many critics argued that the character reinforced the stereotypical image of the "nerd" Asian, and the pronunciation of the name closely resembled a racially discriminatory term, severely dampening audience enthusiasm.
Original Article: toutiao.com/article/1864416965487620/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author