6 Films Scheduled for Release on Lunar New Year’s Day, Behind-the-Scenes Company Revealed, These 4 Firms Are Lying in Wait for Investors

As the Spring Festival approaches in 2026, the A-share film and television theater sector has shown obvious fluctuations. Since January 29, the film and television theater sector has exhibited a significant rebound. As of February 6, the sector index has increased by nearly 7% in total, with stocks such as Hengdian Film & TV, Xingfu Blue Ocean, and Jinyi Film & TV significantly outperforming the market.

Among them, Hengdian Film & TV has gained over 58% since January 29. From January 29 to February 6, in seven trading days, it hit the limit-up five times, and on February 6, the stock once again hit the daily limit during trading.

Spring Festival Blockbuster Films Dominate the Year’s Movie Market

The Spring Festival box office occupies an important position in the annual film market. With the continuous upgrade of residents’ spiritual and cultural needs, watching movies during the Spring Festival has long surpassed mere entertainment consumption, becoming a new folk custom and habit integrated into the Chinese New Year life. As a result, the Spring Festival period has become a prime time for top-tier films to compete.

From the industry development perspective, the Spring Festival film period has evolved from an ordinary slot in the film market to a core golden period, firmly occupying a central position in the national film market. According to data disclosed by the National Film Administration, the number of films released during the Spring Festival has remained stable at 6 to 8 films each year; since 2021, the box office during the Spring Festival has exceeded 6 billion yuan each year, accounting for over 12% of the total annual box office.

In 2025, the Spring Festival box office surpassed 9.5 billion yuan, setting a new record. Compared to the Spring Festival box office in 2015, it has increased more than fourfold, accounting for over 18% of the total annual box office. Among these, “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King” led the 2025 Spring Festival with a box office of 4.839 billion yuan during the holiday period, becoming a phenomenon-level film for the period. Its total mainland China box office reached 15.446 billion yuan, with a global box office exceeding 15.9 billion yuan, making it the first non-Hollywood animated film to top the global box office charts and ranking in the top five of all-time global film history, setting a new record for Asian cinema. Its success lies in deeply integrating traditional myth IP with modern storytelling, technological aesthetics, and emotional value, providing a complete paradigm for the innovative development of traditional cultural IP.

Data Source: China Film News, National Film Administration (No films released during the Spring Festival in 2020)

Six Films Scheduled for Lunar New Year’s Day

According to Maoyan Professional Edition, as of now, six films are scheduled for release on Lunar New Year’s Day 2026 (February 17, 2026): “Flying Past Life 3,” “Panda Plan: Tribal Adventure,” “Silent Jue,” “Dartman: Wind Rising in the Desert,” “Boonie Bears: Year of the Bear,” and “Star River Dreams.” Additionally, one film, “Return to the Wolf Pack,” will be re-released on the third day of the Lunar New Year (February 19, 2026). This film originally premiered in 2017.

The six films scheduled for Lunar New Year’s Day are diverse in genre and theme, offering a rich selection. Not only do they feature compelling content, but they also boast a star-studded cast, including box office guarantees like Shen Teng and Ma Li, veteran actors such as Jackie Chan, and top directors like Zhang Yimou. Moreover, the original soundtracks are also quite attractive, with the potential to become popular songs during the holiday season due to their high-quality melodies and emotional resonance.

“Flying Past Life 3,” written and directed by Han Han, stars Shen Teng, Yin Zheng, Huang Jingyu, and Zhang Benyu. The film combines the rugged terrain of Jiulong County in Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province, with intense racing plots, turning the winding and unique landscape into a natural racetrack, allowing viewers to experience the thrill of racing while immersing in the stunning scenery of the “Gongga South Slope Pearl.”

“Panda Plan: Tribal Adventure” is a comedy and fantasy film starring Jackie Chan, Ma Li, and Qiao Sheng. Its predecessor, “Panda Plan,” was released during the 2024 National Day holiday and grossed over 300 million yuan.

“Silent Jue,” directed by Zhang Yimou, is a contemporary film about national security. Wang Sulong performs the prelude/insert song “Prey,” Zhou Shen sings the theme song “Choice,” and Liu Yuning performs the ending song “Loyalty.”

“Dartman: Wind Rising in the Desert” is a martial arts action film adapted from the popular Chinese animation IP “Dartman.” It gathers top talents in Chinese martial arts cinema, with meticulous respect and innovation for the original work, and has been highly anticipated since its initial project announcement.

As the longest Spring Festival holiday in history, can this year’s Spring Festival box office replicate the prosperity of the past? As of February 6, the cumulative “Want to See” numbers on Maoyan for “Flying Past Life 3” exceeded 770,000, “Panda Plan: Tribal Adventure” over 300,000, and “Silent Jue” nearly 260,000.

Zhongyuan Securities stated that the film and television sector should pay attention to the arrival of the Spring Festival period. The six films scheduled for Lunar New Year’s Day, as the most important slot of the year (9 days), will significantly impact the performance and market valuation of the sector. Additionally, due to demand growth bottlenecks in the film market, film companies are actively exploring new business models beyond their main operations, such as IP collaborations, trendy toys, offline entertainment, and AI content, to enhance competitiveness and stabilize performance.

Behind-the-Scenes Companies of Spring Festival Films Revealed

As the Spring Festival approaches, the strength of film and television theater companies is closely related to their involvement in these films. Based on publicly available information and a rough compilation by Securities Times·Data Treasure, seven companies participated in the production (or co-production) of the six Spring Festival films scheduled for January 1, 2026, with some companies involved in multiple films.

Specifically, China Film participated in the production of “Flying Past Life 3,” “Silent Jue,” “Boonie Bears: Year of the Bear,” “Star River Dreams,” and “Dartman: Wind Rising in the Desert.”

Wanda Film (including its subsidiary Wanda Film & TV Media Co., Ltd.) co-produced “Flying Past Life 3” and “Silent Jue”; additionally, Bona Film Group also participated in producing “Flying Past Life 3.”

Hengdian Film & TV Investment produced “Boonie Bears: Year of the Bear,” “Flying Past Life 3,” and “Star River Dreams.” The company also stated that, according to its Q3 2025 earnings briefing, it has assembled a professional team to incubate AI animated dramas like “Jiuzhou Mu Yun Lu,” with AI technology significantly reducing per-minute production costs and improving output efficiency.

From the year-to-date performance, as of February 6, these seven companies have an average cumulative increase of 33%. Hengdian Film & TV, Bona Film, Zhejiang Wenhua Film & TV, and Enlight Media lead in growth, with Hengdian Film & TV’s stock price increasing over 100% this year.

In terms of financial performance, Hengdian Film & TV turned a profit after losses, with net profit between 130 million and 180 million yuan in 2025. The company stated that the industry’s recovery, the success of popular films driving the overall market growth, and its own strengthened management and diversified operations contributed to the year-on-year increase in revenue from film screening and related derivative businesses.

Enlight Media expects a significant increase in performance, with a maximum net profit growth of 550.65% in 2025. During the reporting period, the company’s revenue and profit from films and derivatives saw substantial growth compared to the previous year.

Regarding financing, four of these seven companies saw an increase in their financing balances as of February 5 compared to the end of last year. Hengdian Film & TV’s financing balance increased by over 62%, and Enlight Media’s by over 22%. Additionally, China Film and Wanda Film’s financing balances increased by more than 5%.

Dongcai Illustration·Adding Practical Tips

(Article Source: Securities Times Web)