Public interest in science fiction is rapidly rising in China, alongside the country’s push toward technological advancement.
A new report says revenues hit a record in 2025 while related online searches surged by over 200%, according to the South China Morning Post.
According to data released at the China Science Fiction Convention and reported by Xinhua, total industry revenue reached 126.1 billion yuan (US$18.2 billion), marking a 15.7% year-on-year increase.
The report also noted expanding global influence for Chinese sci-fi intellectual property.
Video games continue to dominate the sector, contributing more than 60% of total earnings.
Sci-fi titles alone brought in 77.91 billion yuan and performed well internationally.
As Wu Yan put it, “Overall, sci-fi games still account for the lion’s share of the market.”
He added that younger audiences favor immersive, interactive formats, where games still outpace other media in both popularity and scale.
The SCMP writes that other segments are also growing. Sci-fi derivatives jumped 179.4% to 7.07 billion yuan, driven largely by original IP and new formats like AI-powered designer toys. Film and TV revenues rose 21.6% to 8.16 billion yuan, while literature generated 5.19 billion yuan.
The industry’s rise builds on earlier breakthroughs in the 2010s, when Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem gained global recognition, followed by blockbuster adaptations like The Wandering Earth and its sequel.
Emerging trends include increased use of artificial intelligence in short- and mid-length video production, as well as growth in offline experiences. Wu noted, “Offline experience projects, such as sci-fi theme parks, have also been very attractive in recent years, similarly because of the first-hand experience [they provide].”
This momentum is reflected in sci-fi tourism, which grew 13.8% to 27.77 billion yuan, with theme parks remaining central. Meanwhile, a newly tracked segment—sci-fi technical equipment—generated 24.74 billion yuan in revenue.
