The 2026 Lunar New Year film season in China recorded a remarkable confrontation between the two "box office kings" Shen Tsang and Wu Jing. After nearly two weeks of screening, the revenue balance is leaning sharply towards Shen Tsang as "Phi trì nhân sinh 3" continuously leads the box office, while "Tiêu nhân" is gradually losing momentum.
According to the latest updated data, "Phi trì nhân sinh 3" achieved accumulated revenue of 3.621 billion RMB. The film has been at the top of the box office for 12 consecutive days, the screening rate is maintained at 35.1% but accounts for 45.5% of total market revenue. The average audience per screening is still among the highest among currently released films.
With the current growth momentum, analysts predict that the film may reach about 4.3 billion CNY when it ends its theatrical journey. This achievement is likely to surpass "Avengers: Endgame" (4.25 billion CNY) - the film currently holding the 10th position in the highest revenue ranking in Chinese box office history.
If that happens, Shen Teng will have three works in the top 10, alongside "Xin Chao, Ly Hoan Anh" (VND 5.413 billion) and "Man Giang Hong" (VND 4.544 billion). The actor's total personal box office revenue is also said to have reached the milestone of VND 40 billion - a record number in the Chinese acting industry.
In the opposite direction, "Tiêu nhân" (original title: "Tiêu nhân: Phong khởi đại mạc") achieved a revenue of 40 million CNY on February 28. After 12 days of screening, the film grossed 1.061 billion CNY. The screening rate reached 19%, accounting for 18.4% of the total daily revenue. At the current rate, the overall revenue of the film is forecast to stop at about 1.4 billion CNY, while previously Wu Jing shared that the project needed about 1.5 billion CNY to break even.
Before its release, "Tiêu nhân" was once considered a bright candidate for the Tet box office throne when it gathered martial arts names such as Jet Li, Zhang Jin, Yuan Heping and Yu Rongguang. However, the actual performance did not meet initial expectations.
Notably, the rise of domestic films has also significantly reduced Hollywood's position in China. There was a time when blockbusters like "Titanic", "Avatar", "Transformers" or "Fast & Furious" continuously broke records in this market. However, in recent years, Chinese films have gradually dominated the rankings, pushing many Hollywood works out of the top.
In terms of peak achievements, Ngo Kinh is still slightly better when he once set a box office record with "Truong Tan Ho" and "Wolf Warrior 2". However, in terms of revenue stability, Shen Teng is showing persistent performance with many works reaching the milestone of 3-5 billion RMB.
In the context that director-actor Jia Ling has not had a new project after "Hot and Worried", the title race for "Chinese box office king" is currently seen as a duel between Shen Tsang and Wu Jing. With major projects such as "Wolf Warrior 3" and "The Wanderer 3" being implemented, this competition is predicted to be more volatile in the near future.
