by Xinhua author Zhang Yunlong
BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) — Sandwiched between the October National Day vacation and the year-end moviegoing rush, November has historically been a quiet month for China’s field workplace.
However, this November’s slate seems to be somewhat energetic thus far. From festival-lauded artwork movies to a worldwide anime sensation and heavyweight Hollywood sequels, the month provides a wealthy lineup and maybe, a shot at reviving viewers enthusiasm after a subdued October.
Following a lackluster National Day vacation, when film ticket gross sales declined for a second consecutive 12 months, the trade is in search of renewed momentum. Boosted by the record-breaking success of “Ne Zha 2,” China’s 2025 field workplace had already surpassed final 12 months’s full-year complete of 42.5 billion yuan (about 6 billion U.S. {dollars}) by early October. As of Thursday, its cumulative gross stood above 44.7 billion yuan, and analysts see November and December as essential months for pushing the whole nearer to the symbolic 50-billion-yuan mark.
“The November lineup is exciting, featuring a group of award-winning Chinese art-house films and Hollywood franchise titles that will appeal to different audiences,” mentioned Lai Li, an analyst with ticketing platform Maoyan.
ART-HOUSE PRESTIGE
The month opened on a distinctly creative notice with “Girl,” the directorial debut of Taiwan actress Shu Qi, who additionally wrote the screenplay. Loosely based mostly on her private experiences, the movie provides a female-centered meditation on progress and self-discovery. After competing at each the Venice and Busan movie festivals, it received Shu Qi the Best Director award in Busan.
Arriving on Nov. 7 might be “The Sun Rises on Us All,” directed by Cai Shangjun and starring Xin Zhilei. The Venice-winning drama facilities on guilt and redemption within the aftermath of a hit-and-run incident. Xin’s efficiency earned her the Best Actress award in Venice — making her solely the third Chinese actress to win this honor after Gong Li and Deanie Ip.
Another anticipated title is “Resurrection” (Nov. 22), from auteur Bi Gan and starring Jackson Yee and Shu Qi. The Cannes competitors entry and winner of the Special Award blends fantasy and time journey in Bi’s signature poetic model. While Bi’s elliptical storytelling does have a status for testing audiences’ persistence, the mix of art-house status and Yee’s box-office draw may make it one of many month’s most talked-about Chinese releases.
Other notable home titles embrace Hu Ge’s crime drama “A Touch of Warm” (Nov. 15), the Shanghai-set household story “Shanghai Wonton” and “Skin” (Nov. 28), a horror function starring Hong Kong actress Athena Chu.
HOLLYWOOD SEQUELS, JAPANESE ANIME
Hollywood and Japanese choices are additionally anticipated to convey recent power to the Chinese market this month. On Nov. 7, “Predator: Badlands” will open day-and-date with North America, adopted by “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” on Nov. 14, which is the third installment of the magician-heist franchise, of which the primary two editions grossed 142 million yuan and 637 million yuan, respectively, in China.
But essentially the most intense buzz thus far surrounds the Japanese anime juggernaut “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” additionally debuting Nov. 14. Adapted from the worldwide smash manga, the movie has shattered data overseas — changing into the highest-grossing foreign-language launch in North America ever, in line with Maoyan. It additionally ranks as Japan’s top-grossing movie of 2025 and among the many world’s 5 largest earners thus far this 12 months.
Disney’s “Zootopia 2” will premiere in China on Nov. 26, the identical day as its North American launch. The authentic 2016 movie earned 1.53 billion yuan in China, nonetheless the all-time document for an imported animated function. Whether its sequel can replicate that success stays to be seen — however its late-month launch is prone to carry total November-December field workplace momentum.
Historically, November has produced shock hits, akin to “A Cool Fish” (2018) and “Be Somebody” (2021), each mid-budget crime comedies that thrived on sturdy word-of-mouth publicity. This 12 months’s schedule, although brief on native mega-blockbusters, should ship surprising successes.
“In a month lacking super blockbusters, cinemas may rely on diverse genres and strong word-of-mouth titles to unlock market potential,” famous trade weblog “Ying Shi Feng Xiang Biao.”