KOFIC Releases 2025 Global Film Industry Year-End Report

- Asia-Pacific drives global film market growth as revenue rises 12.3% year-on-year

- Asian film market grows on the strength of local box-office hits in China, Japan, and beyond

- Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Japan surpass pre-pandemic admissions levels

- Screen infrastructure expands across Asia and the Middle East while contracting in North America

- China's Ne Zha 2 tops the 2025 global box office

Global Theatrical Revenue Reaches €29.557 Billion; Admissions Total Approximately 4.977 Billion

Global theatrical revenue in 2025 reached €29.557 billion (approx. KRW 47.5079 trillion), up 5.4% year-on-year, while admissions rose 2.8% to approximately 4.977 billion.¹ However, 2025 revenue and admissions stood at only 81.8% and 71.5%, respectively, of the 2017–2019 pre-pandemic average. Despite a modest year-on-year rebound, the market merely returned to levels comparable to 2023, reinforcing a structure in which fewer moviegoers are paying higher ticket prices to sustain the industry.

Asia-Pacific Drives Global Market Growth, with China and Japan Leading

Theatrical revenue in the Asia-Pacific region reached €11.9369 billion (approx. KRW 19.1865 trillion) in 2025, up 12.3% year-on-year and accounting for 40.4% of global revenue. China and Japan led the region's growth in particular. China's theatrical revenue reached €6.38 billion (approx. KRW 10.2548 trillion), up 16.9% year-on-year, driven by the domestic animated film Ne Zha 2, which alone accounted for roughly 30% of China's total box office revenue. Japan's theatrical revenue reached €1.675 billion (approx. KRW 2.6923 trillion), up 32.6% year-on-year — the highest growth rate among the world's top 10 theatrical markets. Animated titles such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle, Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback, and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, along with the live-action film Kokuho, contributed to this growth.

Africa and the Middle East also saw theatrical revenue rise 22.2% year-on-year, buoyed by growth in emerging markets such as Saudi Arabia. By contrast, North America declined 1.4%, Europe fell 2.4%, and Latin America dropped 6.6%, with France posting a particularly steep 14.1% decline. Germany was the only market among Europe's top five to post growth, with theatrical revenue rising 6.4% year-on-year on the back of higher admissions, higher average ticket prices, and strong performances by domestic films.

Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Japan Surpass Pre-Pandemic Admissions

While global admissions in 2025 reached only 71.5% of the 2017–2019 pre-pandemic average, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, and Japan each drew more moviegoers than their respective pre-pandemic averages. In Saudi Arabia, growth was driven by infrastructure expansion following the reopening of cinemas, while in Vietnam and Japan, growth was driven by the box-office strength of domestic films.

Saudi Arabia's 2025 admissions reached 18.8 million, up 7.3% year-on-year and 189.2% compared with 2019. Vietnam recorded 71.2 million admissions, up 31.3% year-on-year, while Japan recorded 189 million admissions, up 31.3% year-on-year and 5% above its pre-pandemic average.

Screen Infrastructure Expands in Asia and the Middle East; Premium Large Format (PLF) Grows

The number of screens worldwide reached 220,507 in 2025, up 0.7% year-on-year and 10% compared with 2019. Screen infrastructure expanded particularly in Asia and the Middle East. Saudi Arabia's screen count rose from 129 in 2019 to 603 in 2025, an increase of 367.4%, while China recorded 93,187 screens in 2025, the largest total in the world. By contrast, the number of screens in the United States and Canada fell from 43,679 in 2019 to 37,731 in 2025, a decline of 13.6%.

Average ticket prices have risen in every major market except Saudi Arabia since 2019. Facing declining admissions worldwide, theatrical exhibitors are increasingly expanding Premium Large Format (PLF) offerings such as IMAX and Dolby Cinema to enhance the moviegoing experience and raise per-ticket spending. IMAX's global revenue reached a record $1.28 billion in 2025, up 40% year-on-year (approx. KRW 1.8207 trillion).

Domestic Films Fill the Hollywood Gap, Determining Market Performance

As the supply and performance of Hollywood tentpoles grew more unstable, the box-office strength of domestic films increasingly determined the overall stability of individual markets. Global revenue from major U.S. studio films reached $17.7 billion, up 15% year-on-year, but remained well below the 2017–2019 annual average of more than $25 billion.

Vietnam's domestic film admission share reached 61.4% in 2025, up 21.0 percentage points year-on-year and 32.9 percentage points above the 2017–2019 average; 8 of Vietnam's top 10 box-office films in 2025 were domestic productions. Italy also saw its domestic film admission share rise to 33% in 2025, up 7.3 percentage points year-on-year, with 4 domestic films ranking among the top 10 at the box office.

China's Ne Zha 2 Tops the 2025 Global Box Office

Ne Zha 2, a Chinese animated film, topped the 2025 global box office with €1.771 billion in worldwide revenue (approx. KRW 2.8466 trillion), followed by Zootopia 2 and Lilo & Stitch. Four Asian films ranked among the global top 20: Ne Zha 2, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle (No. 7), Detective Chinatown 1900 (No. 15), and Dead to Rights (No. 17).

The 2025 global film market can be summarized by three trends: first, revenue grew while admissions recovery lagged, cementing a structure of higher prices and lower attendance frequency; second, the market's center of growth shifted toward Asia, led by China and Japan, with the box-office strength of domestic films determining overall market performance; and third, screen infrastructure expanded in Asia and the Middle East while contracting in North America, prompting exhibitors to respond by expanding premium-format screenings to enhance the moviegoing experience and raise per-ticket spending.

Meanwhile, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) publishes a range of film industry statistics, including a monthly Korean film industry report, to help stakeholders track the current state and trends of the film industry. KOFIC also provides research reports, issue papers, and overseas correspondent reports offering in-depth analysis of major issues in the film industry both in Korea and abroad. These materials are publicly available on the KOFIC website.

Published under Public Domain Mark (Korea Open Government License — Attribution). For further inquiries regarding this release, please contact the person in charge. Source: Korean Film Council (KOFIC) 

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