China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Poster of "The Volunteers: Peace at Last", moviegoers

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, south China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. Various of film posters displayed at cinema

FILE: Shuyang City, Jiangsu Province, east China - Aug 2, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of moviegoers waiting in line, entering cinema

Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. Various of moviegoers at cinema

Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of moviegoers watching movie

China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Clips from film "The Volunteers: Peace at Last"
7. Clips from film "Dead To Rights"

China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Clips from film "Nobody"

Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of poster of movie, moviegoers in cinema

China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
10. Clips from film "Shenzhou 13", or "Blue Planet Outside the Window

Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province, northeast China - Sept 17, 2025 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
11. Posters of film "Evil Unbound"

Macao, China - Sept 18, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Various of poster of film "Evil Unbound", moviegoers in cinema

China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
13. Trailer for film "Evil Unbound"

FILE: China - 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
14. Clips from animated movie "Ne Zha 2"

Jiangsu Province, east China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
15. Various of moviegoers at cinema

China's year-to-date box office for 2025 has surpassed 2024's full-year total of 42.5 billion yuan (approximately 5.98 billion U.S. dollars), crossing a crucial milestone during the National Day holiday window as more holiday releases fill cinemas across the country.

The box office total for 2025 has reached 42.502 billion yuan as of 14:16 on Thursday, exceeding last year's final tally nearly three months before the year's end.

This year has seen the release of more than 300 films so far nationwide, spanning genres such as historical drama, comedy, animation, fantasy, and feature films.

A total of 13 new films have been scheduled for release during the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday season, which started on Wednesday.

The box office for the holiday, including previews and presales, has exceeded 500 million yuan as of 12:25 on Thursday.

Leading the box office is "The Volunteers: Peace at Last," the final installment of director Chen Kaige's "Volunteers" trilogy which depicts the Chinese People's Volunteer Army in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953).

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Films such as "Dead To Rights," a historical film about the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, and "Evil Unbound", a film depicting the atrocities committed by Japan's notorious Unit 731 during World War II, present moviegoers the Chinese people's resistance efforts from diverse perspectives.

The biggest single driver of 2025's surge has been the animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2," which opened during the Chinese New Year holiday and has amassed more than 15.4 billion yuan domestically, accounting for over a third of the annual gross to date.

Other major titles include "Detective Chinatown 1900" at 3.6 billion yuan, as well as summer box office leaders "Dead to Rights" at 3 billion yuan and "Nobody" at 1.6 billion yuan, with the latter becoming the highest-grossing 2D animated film in Chinese history.

Meanwhile, China's first space documentary, filmed in 8K ultra-high-definition cameras by its astronauts, has grossed more than 43 million yuan since its September 5 premiere.

The "Shenzhou 13," or "Blue Planet Outside the Window," chronicles the Shenzhou-13 mission featuring China's first six-month manned space station stay and the first spacewalk by a Chinese female astronaut.