Top 10 Chinese-Language Films of 2025 (Based on Chinese Internet Data)

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2025 was a remarkable year for Chinese cinema. The total box office surpassed 51.8 billion yuan, with over 1.2 billion admissions. Animated films rose strongly, with Nezha: The Demon Child Reborn in the Sea achieving a box office miracle of 15.4 billion yuan. War films touched hearts with fresh perspectives, and Nanjing Photo Studio became the critical darling of the year.

This year, we saw the warmth of ordinary people's stories, the leap forward in domestic animation, and the courage of Chinese-language cinema to explore new genres.

Here are my picks for the Top 10 Chinese-Language Films of 2025, ranked by a combination of Douban scores, box office performance, and artistic value. I hope this gives you some inspiration for your watchlist.

No. 1: Nanjing Photo Studio (南京照相館)

Director: Shen Ao

Cast: Liu Haoran / Wang Chuanjun / Gao Ye / Wang Xiao

Genre: Drama / War

Douban Score: 8.8

Box Office: 3.02 billion yuan

Verdict: A phenomenal war film worthy of history.

This is a different kind of war film. Set against the backdrop of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, it avoids grand battle scenes. Instead, it focuses on a small photo studio where ordinary people risk their lives to preserve evidence of Japanese atrocities and find a way to smuggle the negatives out, hoping to expose the truth.

The film's greatest strength is its restraint. It doesn't exploit tragedy or manipulate emotions. Instead, it resonates through its delicate human storytelling. A line from the film — "Blood can be washed off clothes, but crimes captured on film can never be erased" — became one of the most unforgettable movie quotes of 2025.

It reminded me of Schindler's List — not through visual shock, but through the power of humanity.

No. 2: Nezha: The Demon Child Reborn in the Sea (哪吒之魔童鬧海)

Director: 饺子 (Jiaozi)

Voice Cast: Lv Yanting / Han Mo

Genre: Drama / Animation / Fantasy

Douban Score: 8.4

Box Office: 15.45 billion yuan

Verdict: A super entertainment feast that conquered everyone.

If you only watch one film from 2025, make it this one. Not only was it the year's box office champion, but its astonishing 15.4 billion yuan gross also placed it among the top five highest-grossing animated films in global box office history. International media called it "a maximalist feast."

From its production quality to its emotional core, this is a true all-rounder. A heroic coming-of-age story filled with thrills and tears. Breathtaking visuals. Comedy that appeals to all ages. It shows the market exactly what audiences truly want to see.

No. 3: The Legend of Hei 2 (羅小黑戰記2)

Director: Mutou / Gu Jie

Voice Cast: Shan Xin / Liu Mingyue

Genre: Animation / Fantasy / Adventure

Douban Score: 8.7

Box Office: Approximately 530 million yuan

Verdict: An undeniable masterpiece of new Chinese-style 2D animation.

If the first film in 2019 was an upgrade from a "short-form series" to a full-length feature, the second installment represents a "realm-shifting leap" in the production quality of domestic 2D animation. More gorgeous visuals. A grander story. Richer emotions.

While retaining beloved classic characters, it introduces cool new fan-favorites. It features lightning-fast close-quarters combat sequences and spectacular scenes like emergency plane landings and superpowered duels. The graceful, elegant world of Chinese fantasy blends seamlessly with the bustling "everyday life" of contemporary Chinese cities.

No. 4: The Pigman of Langlang Mountain (浪浪山小妖怪)

Director: Yu Shui

Voice Cast: Chen Ziping / Lu Yang

Genre: Animation / Fantasy / Comedy

Douban Score: 8.5

Box Office: 1.72 billion yuan

Verdict: A witty allegory that flips the Journey to the West narrative.

This was the biggest dark horse of the 2025 summer season. Spun off from a popular episode of Yao-Chinese Folktales, the film centers on four lowly goblins not even worthy of names, telling a荒诞 (absurd) yet heartwarming story of a grassroots "journey to retrieve scriptures."

The director achieved a complete narrative revolution. The lens is focused not on Sun Wukong, but on the NPCs destined to be eliminated. The little pig spirit's cry — "I'm so unwilling. I've accomplished nothing in this life" — captures the essence. These nobodies find their own voice within the grand narrative.

Watercolor style, a Journey to the West framework, and a core about the struggles of the modern office worker. You'll laugh until you cry.

No. 5: Shadows in the Wind (捕風追影)

Director: Yang Zi

Cast: Jackie Chan / Zhang Zifeng / Tony Leung Ka-fai / Cisha

Genre: Crime / Action

Douban Score: 8.1

Box Office: 1.27 billion yuan

Verdict: A thoroughly exhilarating and entertaining thrill ride.

Jackie Chan is finally back in action. Fight scenes take up nearly half the film's runtime — close-quarters combat, knife fights, parkour, gunfights. It's non-stop excitement from beginning to end. Tony Leung Ka-fai is equally magnetic as the formidable villain.

But the film is about more than just fighting. It explores the value and legacy of traditional surveillance techniques in an era of AI and smart cities. The dynamic between the veteran and the newcomer, the theme of generational transition, gives this action film rare warmth.

No. 6: Detective Chinatown 1900 (唐探1900)

Director: Chen Sicheng / Dai Mo

Cast: Wang Baoqiang / Liu Haoran

Genre: Mystery / Comedy

Douban Score: 6.4

Box Office: 3.61 billion yuan

Verdict: A new chapter in the Detective Chinatown universe.

The fourth installment and a prequel to the series, the story is set in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1900. Although its score isn't as high as its predecessors, its 3.6 billion yuan box office speaks to its appeal.

This time, the mystery is intertwined with themes of patriotism and national identity. As the "Chinatown detectives" face racial discrimination and the currents of history in a foreign land, the familiar formula gains a new dimension.

No. 7: The Litchi Road (長安的荔枝)

Director: Da Peng

Cast: Da Peng / Bai Ke / Zhuang Dafei

Genre: History / Comedy

Douban Score: 7.5

Box Office: 691 million yuan

Verdict: Tang dynasty bureaucracy under a microscope.

Adapted from Ma Boyong's novel of the same name. A lowly ninth-rank official named Li Shande is assigned an impossible task: transport fresh lychees from Lingnan to Chang'an, a distance of 5,000 miles. A consort's fleeting desire for a taste of fresh fruit sets off a storm that affects countless ordinary people.

The line "Procedures are rules meant to be followed only by the weak" perfectly captures the workplace experience of the modern worker. Using lighthearted, humorous storytelling, the film presents the helplessness and struggle of an individual against the vast machinery of an empire.

No. 8: Unit 731 (731)

Director: Zhao Linshan

Cast: Jiang Wu / Wang Zhiwen / Li Naiwen

Genre: War / History

Douban Score: N/A

Box Office: 1.94 billion yuan

Verdict: Exposing an unerasable historical truth.

This film focuses on the real-life crimes of the infamous Japanese biological warfare unit, Unit 731. With a serious historical attitude, it exposes their inhumane acts — conducting germ warfare and vivisection under the guise of "water supply and epidemic prevention."

It doesn't shy away, doesn't romanticize, and doesn't melodramatize. It sits like a heavy stone on the audience's hearts. The very existence of such a film is significant — a reminder that some history cannot and must not be forgotten.

No. 9: The Stage (戲台)

Director: Chen Peisi

Cast: Chen Peisi / Huang Bo

Genre: Drama / Comedy

Douban Score: 7.9

Box Office: 411 million yuan

Verdict: A sincere and heartfelt return to the screen for Chen Peisi.

Adapted from Chen's own acclaimed stage play of the same name. An aging theatrical form. An elderly artist. A play within a play. With his trademark humor, Chen Peisi satirizes the corrosion of art by commercial capital.

Though its box office was modest, its artistic merit is high.

No. 10: The Volunteers: Blood and Peace (志願軍：浴血和平)

Director: Chen Kaige

Cast: Zhang Zifeng / Song Jia / Zhu Yawen

Genre: War / History

Douban Score: 7.1

Box Office: 641 million yuan

Verdict: The closing chapter of The Volunteers trilogy.

The finale employs a dual narrative, interweaving the brutality of the front lines with the strategic maneuvering of the negotiating table. Many of the smaller stories within the film are based on real people and events, each one deeply moving.

Chen Kaige's directorial eye remains sharp. While the trilogy shows some signs of exhaustion by its third installment, it nonetheless provides a dignified period at the end of this historical sentence.

Final Thoughts

Looking back at this list, several key trends stand out:

The Rise of Animation — Three of the top ten are animated films, and they dominated the box office charts. Domestic animation is no longer a "kids' genre" on the margins; it's a mainstream force that has conquered audiences of all ages.

Stories of Ordinary People — The photo studio owner in Nanjing Photo Studio, the low-level official in The Litchi Road, the nameless goblins in The Pigman of Langlang Mountain — the best films of 2025 were about ordinary people. This suggests Chinese cinema has found a better way to tell historical stories: not through heroic epics, but through the epics of everyday lives.

Laughter and Tears — There were two empty spots on Douban's annual top ten list. There may be fewer great films than we'd like, but the ones that exist are brilliant.

Here's hoping 2026 brings even more great stories to the big screen.

Which of these have you seen? Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments.

Tom De · The Movie Prince 🎬

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