'Avengers: Endgame Encore' Tops China Box Office Pre-Golden Week

Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Endgame Encore" claimed first place at the mainland China box office over the September 25–27 frame, grossing RMB83.8 million ($12.5 million), according to Artisan Gateway. The re-release pushed the Marvel epic's cumulative lifetime haul in China to $647.8 million.

The encore screenings displaced Dirty Monkeys' war comedy-drama "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," which slipped to second place after a long run at the top. The film collected $7.6 million in its seventh weekend, lifting its cumulative total to $341.2 million since its August 11 rollout. Directed by Wen Muye ("Dying to Survive") and starring Shen Teng, Jiang Qiming, Aarif Rahman and Omar Sherif, the late-summer hit follows a Chinese chef in a fictional Middle Eastern city who turns his restaurant into a sanctuary for local orphans and civilians amid regional armed conflict.

Pearl Studio's animated fantasy comedy "All Wishes Come True!" held third position in its eleventh weekend, generating $4.6 million. Directed by Mu Zhengyang, the long-running animated feature has reached $296 million since launching on July 18.

Riverrun Grace Film's crime comedy "The Old Fox" debuted in fourth place with $3.6 million. Directed by Li Taige, the film stars Yu Qian as a retiring veteran police officer who discovers suspicious anomalies during an apparently routine theft investigation. His inquiry leads directly to a ruthless corporate chairman played by Tony Leung Ka-fai, and the two seasoned operators become locked in a battle of wits.

Pearl River Film Group's crime thriller "V" rounded out the top five, taking $2.8 million in its sixth frame to bring its cumulative gross to $96 million. Directed by Han Yan ("Love Never Ends") and featuring an ensemble cast led by Tony Leung Ka-fai, Zhu Yilong, Tan Jianci and Kara Wai, the film chronicles an ambitious man's rapid ascent to power and the lingering consequences that threaten his success.

Mainland China's overall weekend grosses reached $39.9 million, a customary quiet corridor ahead of the impending Golden Week holiday. The 2026 year-to-date box office stands at $4.34 billion, down 29.4% compared with the same period in 2025. The Golden Week holiday, which traditionally delivers some of the year's strongest theatrical returns, now offers distributors their clearest test of whether that gap can narrow.