China Box Office: The 10 Biggest Movies of 2015

Monster Hunt, $374.61 million (2.44 billion yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: Edko

Monster Hunt, a 3D fantasy film blending live-action and CGI animation, is the homecoming project of Hong Kong-born filmmaker Roman Hui, who was previously best known for his work at DreamWorks Animation, where he co-directed Shrek the Third. Produced by Hong Kong's Edko, Beijing-based Heyi Pictures and others for $40 million, the film's technical prowess and warm, highly localized storytelling wowed the Chinese audience. Monster Hunt grossed $107.02 million over its first four days and eventually unseated Furious 7 as the highest-grossing movie ever in China.
Furious 7, $372.63 million (2.43 billion yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: Universal

James Wan's high-octane blockbuster, which includes Paul Walker's final on-screen performance, connected with Chinese film fans in a huge way. The film grossed an astonishing $325.8 million in just 15 days, according to studio data at the time. State film collasus China Film Group's 10 percent stake in the movie was believed to give it a distribution boost. Vin Diesel, Jason Statham and Michelle Rodriguez also traveled to Beijing to promote the movie. It is Hollywood's biggest movie in China ever.
Lost in Hong Kong, $247.71 (1.61 billion yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: Beijing Enlight Pictures

Although he's little known in the West, Chinese writer-director-actor Xu Zheng cemented his status as a comedy kingpin of the global box office with the release of Lost in Hong Kong, his third film in the loosely linked Lost franchise. The comedy is an homage to the golden age of Hong Kong cinema, which millions of mainland Chinese in their ticket-buying twenties grew up watching (more on the film and its appeal here).
Avengers: Age of Ultron, $224.88 (1.4 billion yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: Disney

Disney's biggest bow of the year in China came from the latest Avengers installment, which opened to a massive $156.3 million in its first six days. It is the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time in China.
Goodbye Mr. Loser, $221.34 (1.44 billion yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: Wanda Media

A movie about a middle-aged nobody who passes out drunk and dreams of traveling back in time to pursue the girl that got away, Goodbye Mr. Loser is the first movie produced by Mahua FunAge, a Beijing theater company known for its wildly popular comedies. Directors Yan Fei and Peng Damo, along with the entire leading cast, made their movie debuts with the film. Now they are stars.
Jurassic World, $218.16 (1.42 billion yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: Universal

The final Hollywood title of the year to cross the locally symbolic 1 billion yuan mark, Jurassic World opened shortly before China's annual summer blackout period on Hollywood imports, when regulators keep foreign films out so local titles can run uncontested. The movie was Universal's second triumph in China, after Furious 7's record-breaking local performance in the Spring.
Mojin: The Lost Legend, $210.21 (1.37 billion yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: Huayi Brothers

In the same weekend that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was making its recording-breaking debut in the U.S. and elsewhere, Chinese film fans turned out in droves for an adventure epic of their own: Mojin – The Lost Legend (Force Awakens doesn't debut in China until Jan. 9). Directed by Wuershan and stocked with A-list Chinese stars, the movie is an adaptation of Ghost Blows Out the Light, a wildly popular Chinese online novel about the adventures of a young team of tomb raiders.
Pancake Man, $178.16 (1.16 billion yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: Wanda Pictures

If Pancake Man hadn't opened the same weekend as Monster Hunt, it probably would have climbed even further up the charts. Still, writter/director/star Da Peng's superhero parody film — featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme as a villain — opened to $69.02 million and demonstrated strong staying power.
From Vegas to Macau 2, $149.68 (974.73 million yuan)

Chow Yun-fat, who in his late career is increasingly seeming like Hong Kong's answer to George Clooney, reprised his dashing role as the God of Gamblers in the latest installment in writer-director Wong Jing's long running casino action-comedy franchise. The third installment is scheduled for release on Feb 8, 2016, so the hijinks are far from over.
Monkey King: Hero Is Back, $146.86 (956.32 million yuan)

Image Credit: Photo Credit: October Animation

Directed by first-time filmmaker Tian Xiaopeng, Hero Is Back was made for just $16 million but managed to unseat Kung Fu Panda 2 as the highest-grossing animated feature ever in China. The movie raised $1.2 million of its marketing cost from crowdfunding, giving 109 of the contributors producer credits in the movie. A sequel is in the works.

Monster Hunt, $374.61 million (2.44 billion yuan)

Furious 7, $372.63 million (2.43 billion yuan)

Lost in Hong Kong, $247.71 (1.61 billion yuan)

Avengers: Age of Ultron, $224.88 (1.4 billion yuan)

Goodbye Mr. Loser, $221.34 (1.44 billion yuan)

Jurassic World, $218.16 (1.42 billion yuan)

Mojin: The Lost Legend, $210.21 (1.37 billion yuan)

Pancake Man, $178.16 (1.16 billion yuan)

From Vegas to Macau 2, $149.68 (974.73 million yuan)

Monkey King: Hero Is Back, $146.86 (956.32 million yuan)