China Box Office: ‘Resident Evil’ Stays at No. 1 as Market Hits Fall Lull

Constantin Film and Sony Pictures’ horror reboot “Resident Evil” secured the top spot at the mainland China box office for the third consecutive weekend, grossing RMB37.6 million ($5.6 million) over the Oct. 23–25 frame, according to data from Artisan Gateway. Since rolling out during the Golden Week holiday corridor on Oct. 5, the film has generated a cumulative haul of $64.8 million. New Classics Pictures’ crime procedural drama “Traces of Justice” held onto second position, taking in $4.7 million in its fourth weekend. Directed by Chen Sicheng (“Detective Chinatown”) and co-written with Zhang Ji and Yan Zijie, the period investigation epic has lifted its cumulative cume to $92.4 million since premiering on Oct. 1. Starring Zhang Yi, Ma Li, and Chen Minghao alongside guest appearances by Karry Wang, Fan Chengcheng, and Chen Feiyu, the multi-decade drama chronicles an elite public security detective unravelling major criminal mysteries based on real cases. Beijing Joy Fun Pictures’ domestic body-swap comedy “Mr. & Mrs. Pardon” remained in third place, generating $2.6 million over the three-day weekend to lift its cumulative gross to $55.5 million. Directed by Shen Chunyang and written by Ma Duo, the satirical feature stars real-life comedic pair Shen Chunyang and Xiao Shenyang alongside Jia Bing and Yu Yang as an uninspired middle-aged couple forced to navigate marriage and domestic friction after swapping bodies. Popular on Variety Dirty Monkeys’ war comedy-drama “Once Upon a Time in the Middle East” took fourth position in its eleventh weekend of release, collecting $800,000. Directed by Wen Muye (“Dying to Survive”) and starring Shen Teng, Jiang Qiming, Aarif Rahman, and Omar Sherif, the enduring summer blockbuster has amassed a cumulative total of $355.5 million since launching on Aug. 11. Pearl Studio’s computer-animated fantasy comedy “All Wishes Come True!” rounded out the top five, pulling in $600,000 over its two-day weekend frame. Directed by Mu Zhengyang, the long-running family hit has reached a cumulative total of $306.6 million across 15 weeks in release since opening on July 18. Mainland China’s overall weekend box office dropped to a muted $18.6 million, reflecting a pronounced post-holiday slump across the theatrical landscape. The 2026 year-to-date box office reached $4.7 billion, trailing the same period in 2025 by 29.1%.