China’s 2026 National Day holiday box office, including presales, surpassed 230 million yuan (around 34.3 million U.S. dollars) by Friday, according to data from major online ticketing platform Maoyan, as audiences chose from a diverse lineup ranging from children’s animations to Hollywood blockbusters and suspense films.
More than 10 new domestic and international titles were released for the week-long holiday that began Thursday, covering genres including action, adventure, comedy, suspense and animation, drawing strong audience interest.
Cinemas across Beijing bustled on the first day of the holiday, with ticket counters and self-service kiosks drawing crowds and waiting areas filled up. Many parents brought their children, drinks and popcorn in hand, to wait for their screenings to begin.
“There are quite a lot of movies out during the National Day holiday, some for kids, a few Hollywood blockbusters, and a suspense film by Chinese director Chen Sicheng. I’m really looking forward to that one,” said a moviegoer.
“I watched ‘Peppa Pig: Perfect Holiday’. There were a lot of funny parts. I thought it was really fun,” said another moviegoer.
Domestic titles include the crime film “Traces of Justice,” based on the real casework of a forensic expert, the comedy “Mr. & Mrs. Pardon”, which revolves around a mix-up between husband and wife, and the action film “Go for Broke 2,” a new installment in the revenge franchise.
Another warm-hearted comedy “Waiting for Myself” focuses on the emotional lives of elderly people.
The China-UK co-production “Peppa Pig: Perfect Holiday” brings the character to China for the first time in a new 3D animated format.
Imported films such as “Heart of the Beast” and “Resident Evil: Outbreak Night” also offer audiences more choices. Directors of two of the holiday’s releases also shared more about their productions.
“This is a female-led crime revenge action movie. The actors underwent extensive action training before shooting,” said Ma Yuke, director and screenwriter of “Go for Broke 2”. “This is Peppa’s first 3D animated film, and the first trip to China. So we hope it will be a family film that children enjoy and that also brings happiness to adults,” said Liu Yuan, director of “Peppa Pig: Perfect Holiday”.
China’s National Day holiday box office tops 230 mln as diverse new releases fuel moviegoing surge
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Thursday rejected the British government’s claim that Iran “played a part” in a recent alleged plot near Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford, a base hosting the U.S. Air Force in southwest England.
British police detained five men in their 20s near the air base on Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses, following reports of three vans heading toward the facility. On Monday, all five suspects were released on police bail after investigators searched the vehicles and linked properties in London.
Araghchi posted his denial on social media platform X on Thursday in response to comments made a day earlier by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Speaking to BBC News on Wednesday, Burnham stated there were “strong indications that Iran played a part” in the RAF Fairford incident, while emphasizing that a complex police investigation remains ongoing.
Araghchi stressed that London’s decision to grant bail to the suspects exposed the flaws in the allegation, adding that British officials were “barking up the wrong tree.”
Iran summoned British Ambassador Hugo Shorter Thursday to the Foreign Ministry in Tehran. Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi presented a formal objection to Shorter, demanding an official explanation from London and calling on British officials to “rectify its inappropriate approach” toward Iran.
The UK’s decision to grant the suspects bail was also criticized by U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had been “disturbed” by the move.
The RAF Fairford air base has been used by the United States to strike targets in Iran.
Iran rejects Britain’s claim of involvement in military base incident
