Recently on Christmas Day in mainland China, the total box office revenue was only 48.84 million yuan, which is one-sixth of the figure from 10 years ago. Hollywood blockbusters “Avatar 3” and “Zootopia 2” topped the box office with 27.26 million and 10.56 million respectively, while all domestic films flopped. Some netizens believe that the extremely bleak box office performance is mainly due to the unresolved suspicions surrounding the death of Yu Menglong, causing a rising wave of boycott within the entertainment industry.
The mainland self-media, “Film World,” recently analyzed the market situation of the mainland film industry on Christmas Day this year with the headline “Four domestic films fail miserably, A-list stars gather but box office falls below 100,000, free roadshows fail to attract audiences.” The article compared the current situation with Christmas Day in 2015, where despite being a workday, the box office revenue was close to 300 million with films like “Devil Angel” grossing 140 million and the more artistic “Mr. Six” earning 57.67 million.
On the recent Christmas Day, the mainland’s single-day box office revenue was only 48.84 million yuan. The author lamented, “Comparing it this way, it is not difficult to see how cold, gloomy, and dismal the current Chinese film market is!”
The four domestic films mentioned by the author are: “Stop at the Spot,” “Reversal of the First Half,” “Family Reunion Again,” and “207B.”
The comedy film “Stop at the Spot,” directed and written by Zhang Xuanpeng, starring Yin Zheng, Pan Binlong, Huang Cailun, Zhang Yiming, and Liang Chao, despite being produced and distributed by Taopiaopiao, only had an 8.7% screening rate on its opening day and a mere 1.1% box office share. The platform predicts that the total box office revenue for the film is expected to be less than 5 million, which might not even cover the promotional costs after splitting the revenue.
Statistics show that “Reversal of the First Half” sold just over 2,000 tickets in its first three days, accumulating a total box office of 77,000. “Family Reunion Again,” invested by Guan Hu and Liang Jing, produced by “Seven Impressions” and “China Film,” and starring Li Xuejian, only earned 70,000 in five days. “207B” had a total box office of 91,000 after two days, currently with a screening rate and box office share both below 0.1%, even in major cities like Beijing and Shenzhen, there were no screenings available.
The sudden and mysterious death of mainland Chinese actor Yu Menglong on September 11 this year has shocked public opinion and caused panic in the entertainment industry. The unresolved suspicions surrounding the incident have led to a continuous increase in the boycott actions within the Chinese film and television industry. Mainland actor Li Tingzhe, who previously spoke out for Yu Menglong, recently released videos expressing, “The entire internet is criticizing the entertainment industry, and it is already showing some results.” He shared statistics stating that around 65% of actors had no roles throughout the year in 2025, with the exception of short films. Some directors and producers have been forced to switch to livestreaming e-commerce. He revealed that actor income has significantly decreased, with the average income dropping from around 8 million in 2020 to less than 2 million now, with star salaries reduced to only a tenth, and ordinary actors facing meager earnings.
Li Tingzhe also mentioned that despite around 400 films being produced in 2025, only about 10 films were actually profitable. He shared his recent movie-watching experience, “One day, I was the only person in the theater, enjoying the movie alone.” He predicted that if the wave of boycott continues, half of the cinemas in China might close down.
In response to the official blocking of the truth behind Yu Menglong’s death, netizens retaliated, “You stay silent, I will stay even more silent, not stepping into theaters, not buying any merchandise.” “You ban (Yu Menglong), we boycott entertainment.”