BEIJING, March 2 (Xinhua) -- China's box office revenue has topped 10 billion yuan (about 1.44 billion U.S. dollars) so far this year, according to data from Maoyan, one of the country's major online movie ticket platforms.

The box office revenue broke the 10 billion yuan mark at nearly 7:00 p.m. Sunday, according to Maoyan.

Meanwhile, some 225 million film tickets were sold, with the total number of screenings topping 26.1 million, the data showed.

The number was largely driven by the Chinese New Year holiday, which ran from Feb. 15 to 23 and saw box office sales of over 5.75 billion yuan, according to previously released data from the China Film Administration.

Maoyan has also reported a notable shift in the movie-goer demographic this year, with those aged under 25 accounting for 27.61 percent of the total number of viewers, compared with the 23.53 percent for last year's same period.

Industry data suggest the market's strong performance so far has been supported by lower ticket prices. According to Taopiaopiao, another major ticketing platform, the average ticket payment stood at 42 yuan in the first two months of 2026, compared with 50 yuan in the same period of 2025. The average ticket price during the nine-day Chinese New Year holiday fell by 6 percent from the same period last year. ■