'Pegasus 3' Dominates as Chinese New Year Box Office Surpass 2 Billion Yuan

China's box office revenue for the 2026 Spring Festival holiday, including pre-sales, surpassed 2 billion yuan (US$289 million) as of 4:09pm on Wednesday, data from tracker Beacon (Dengta) shows.

Leading the charts is "Pegasus 3," starring comedian Shen Teng, which has amassed more than 900 million yuan in ticket sales.

AI prediction models project a staggering total box office of over 5 billion yuan for the film, far exceeding its predecessors, according to data from Maoyan Pro.

Technology is also reshaping how audiences secure their seats. Data from Alibaba's Qwen model reveals that AI-assisted movie ticket orders surged 372-fold compared to the previous period, with a massive 782-fold increase in lower-tier cities.

Unlike the first two installments, which balanced racing with heavy doses of comedy and drama, "Pegasus 3" is being hailed as the franchise's most "pure" racing film.

The plot follows Zhang Chi (Shen Teng), a down-on-his-luck former champion, as he takes on a new role: head coach for a team competing in the grueling "Muchen 100 Rally."

The film dedicates its final 30 minutes almost entirely to the race, delivering what critics have termed an "industrial-scale" visual spectacle of high-altitude drifting and mechanical mayhem.

The Spring Festival holiday, which began on February 15, represents one of the most critical windows in the world's second-largest film market.

Shorter runtimes for major titles this season have allowed cinemas more flexible scheduling, the Securities Times reported. On February 17 alone, nearly 570,000 screenings were arranged nationwide, shattering the previous single-day record in Chinese film history.