‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Opens on Top as ‘Zootopia 2’ Continues Strong Performance at China Box Office

James Cameron’s “Avatar: Fire and Ash” debuted at No. 1 at the China box office, grossing RMB384.1 million ($54.1 million) over the Dec. 19–21 frame and launching with a RMB405.0 million ($57 million) cumulative total, according to Artisan Gateway.

Some $13.5 million of the China total came from the Imax format, accounting for 23% of the total opening weekend box office in the Middle Kingdom.

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The 20th Century Studios release gave the market a late-December boost, comfortably outpacing holdovers led by Walt Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” which added $27 million in its fourth weekend. The animated sequel has now reached $536.8 million, cementing its position as one of the year’s biggest performers in China.

Daylight Entertainment’s “Gezhi Town” continued to ease in third place, earning $3 million for a $49.7 million total to date. Directed by Kong Sheng and written by Lan Xiaolong, the film tells the story of displaced civilians who, after the fall of Nanjing during wartime, resettle in a remote mountain town near Yichang only to find peace shattered when Japanese forces arrive. The lead cast includes Xiao Zhan, Zhou Yi Ran and Peng Yu Chang among others.

NCM Television’s romantic comedy “Love Is Hard” debuted in fourth place with previews of $800,000 ahead of its Dec. 27 wider release. Co-written and directed by Dong Xu, the third entry in the “Qing Sheng” series centres on a marriage strained by a crisis of trust, with elaborate schemes and misunderstandings pushing a couple into wildly comedic territory. The ensemble features Xiao Yang, Tan Zhuo, Qiao Shan, Chang Yuan and Zhang Xiaowan.

Rounding out the top five, Emperor Motion Pictures’ “Under Current” earned $200,000, lifting its cumulative gross to $4 million. Directed by Alan Mak and starring Aaron Kwok, Simon Yam and Francis Ng, the Hong Kong crime thriller centres on a barrister and a police officer who team up to investigate the suspicious death of a charity organisation’s finance chief — exposing corruption and money-laundering at the heart of the group.

The weekend box office totaled $86.5 million. China’s year-to-date box office now stands at $7.18 billion, up 23.4% compared with the same point in 2024.