Nearly 20 new films are releasing during the Qingming holiday, with pre-sale box office surpassing 56 million yuan. Can the film market heat up?

The film market has ushered in the Qingming Festival season, with many titles scheduling their release dates back-to-back. According to data from Maoyan Professional, this year’s Qingming Festival season (April 4 to 6) will see nearly 20 new films released, a significant increase from the 11 films during the same period last year. As of 11:00 a.m. on April 3, the preview screenings and advance ticket sales for new releases in the 2026 Qingming Festival season have already surpassed 56 million yuan; “Mei, Xu Ke,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” and “My Mom, Gee” currently rank in the top three on the Qingming Festival new release advance ticket sales chart.

As the first major window after the Spring Festival season, the Qingming Festival season has traditionally been dominated by potential films with relatively small to mid-sized budgets. According to Maoyan Professional data, as of now, “Mei, Xu Ke” leads with more than 31 million yuan in total advance ticket sales. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “My Mom, Gee” rank second and third on the advance sales chart, with box office figures of 8.11 million and 7.33 million respectively. Films including “The Sunshine Girls Choir” and “Genius Game” follow closely behind.

Behind the Qingming Festival lineup are not a few publicly listed companies. Among them, the women-themed film “Mei, Xu Ke” is co-produced by China Film (600977.SH) and Hengdian Film (603103.SH). The family-hearted comedy “My Mom, Gee” is co-produced by Huace Film & TV (300133.SZ). The mystery crime film “Genius Game” is produced by Maoyan Entertainment (01896.HK). The horror thriller film “The Butterfly Tower·In Fear” is produced by China Film, Maoyan Entertainment, Wanda Film (002739.SZ), Hengdian Film, and others.

In terms of genres, this year’s Qingming Festival season covers multiple types, including animation, comedy, mystery, thriller, and stories based on real life. Among them, women-themed titles are a major highlight. “Mei, Xu Ke,” “My Mom, Gee,” and “The Sunshine Girls Choir” each explore the mother-daughter relationship, the bond between mother and son, and women’s redemption from different perspectives. In addition, a number of mystery thriller films are entering the lineup in a clustered manner, including the sequel “The Butterfly Tower·In Fear” to 2024’s suspense thriller dark horse “Yuan-Yang Tower·In Fear.” The original “Yuan-Yang Tower·In Fear” previously won 130 million yuan in box office, and there are also multiple domestic thriller titles such as “Lin’s Residence No. 37,” “An Embroidered Shoe,” and “Midnight Elevator,” among others.

The game-IP adaptation film “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is the only imported film in this year’s Qingming Festival season. It is produced by Universal Pictures in the United States, with China Film responsible for import and distribution. After its predecessor “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was released in 2023, it earned 1.36 billion USD in global box office, building a certain base of audience recognition.

The 2024 Qingming Festival season set a box office record with 842 million yuan. In 2025, the box office for the Qingming Festival season fell to 378 million yuan. Regarding this year’s performance in the Qingming Festival season, Song Bin, a veteran film distributor, told Caixin Media’s reporter that the supply of Qingming Festival films in 2026 has reached a near-record high in recent years, breaking the traditional structure that had previously relied on imported films and thriller films. Domestic realistic-themed titles became the core of the season for the first time. The market is showing a competitive landscape led by domestic warm-hearted stories, with highly differentiated genres. With multiple thrillers crowding in, investors are using low budgets to bet on breakout hits, but the overall box office ceiling is expected to be limited. The overall box office during the season is expected to be around 300 million yuan.

After the Qingming Festival season, the May Day holiday will bring yet another wave of moviegoing demand. According to Maoyan Professional data, as of now, 11 new films are expected to schedule release dates for this year’s May Day holiday season. Among them, the film “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” produced by the U.S. company Twentieth Century Studios, has attracted a lot of attention. Currently, the number of people who “want to see it” on Maoyan is nearly 50,000, ranking first on the “want to see” list for that period. Its predecessor, produced with a budget of only 35 million USD, became a global hit when it was released in 2006, grossing 326 million USD worldwide in box office.

In addition, films expected to be scheduled for the May Day holiday season include the mystery film “The Missing Person,” produced with Maoyan Entertainment’s involvement, and the crime action film “Cold War 1994,” produced by Wanda Film, China Film U (00136.HK), and others.

（Source: Caixin Media）