Resident Evil Dominates China Box Office, Dethroning Rivals!
The mainland China box office saw "Resident Evil" debut at number one during the Oct. 9–11 weekend, with "Traces of Justice" and "Mr. & Mrs. Pardon" following. Overall box office figures saw a drop after the National Day holiday, with year-to-date revenue trailing 2025 by a significant margin.
The mainland China box office saw Constantin Film and Sony Pictures’ horror reboot “Resident Evil” claim the top spot during the Oct. 9–11 weekend, grossing RMB81.2 million ($12.1 million). Since its release on Monday, Oct. 5, the video game adaptation has accumulated a total of $40.7 million.
New Classics Pictures’ crime procedural drama “Traces of Justice” moved into second place in its second week, adding $8.3 million. Directed by Chen Sicheng and co-written with Zhang Ji and Yan Zijie, this period investigation drama, which features a veteran public security officer unraveling major historical cases based on real events, has garnered $73.4 million since its opening on Oct. 1. The film stars Zhang Yi, Ma Li, Chen Minghao, Karry Wang, Fan Chengcheng, and Chen Feiyu.
In third position was Beijing Joy Fun Pictures’ family body-swap comedy “Mr. & Mrs. Pardon,” which took in $5.7 million over the weekend, bringing its cumulative gross to $43.6 million. Directed by Shen Chunyang and written by Ma Duo, the satirical feature stars the real-life comedic duo Shen Chunyang and Xiao Shenyang, alongside Jia Bing and Yu Yang, as an uninspired middle-aged couple confronting marital stagnation after trading bodies.
CMC Pictures’ gritty revenge thriller sequel “Go for Broke 2” secured fourth place, adding $1 million in its second weekend. Written and directed by Marc Ma, this action film, starring Isabella Leong, Wen Junhui, and Sammo Hung, has accumulated $7.9 million since its Oct. 3 launch.
Rounding out the top five in its ninth weekend of release was Dirty Monkeys’ war comedy-drama “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East,” which is China’s entry to the Oscars’ international feature category. It took in $800,000, lifting its cumulative total to $353 million since its opening on Aug. 11. The enduring summer blockbuster was directed by Wen Muye and stars Shen Teng, Jiang Qiming, Aarif Rahman, and Omar Sherif.
Overall, mainland China’s weekend box office declined to $30.8 million as theatrical traffic normalized following the National Day holiday rush. The year-to-date box office revenue stands at $4.63 billion, which is 29.4% behind the same period in 2025, according to Artisan Gateway.