Chinese comedy threequel, Pegasus 3, has given the global box office its first $400 million grosser of 2026. And it came at the beginning of the Chinese New Year (the Spring Festival as it’s officially called).
According to data from industry analyst Luiz Fernando, the film opened with a historic $92 million on Tuesday and $66.6 million on Wednesday for a $158 million two-day cume. This registered as the fourth-biggest ever debut for the Spring festival holiday, ousting Monster Hunt 2’s $86.2 million.
Converted to local renminbi currency (¥637 million), Pegasus 3 has the biggest launch since The Battle At Lake Changjin 2: The Watergate Bridge, which bowed to ¥641 million in 2022.
Pegasus 3’s six-day cume stands at $400 million, $125 million more than the $275 million pre-Covid run of Pegasus in 2019. This is already the highest-grossing film of the year by some margin; for reference, Hollywood’s Wuthering Heights in second place has grossed “only” $151.7 million.
The 15 day-long Spring Festival saw 6 films debut with a combined $183.4 million in the Chinese box office. Pegasus 3 may have led the way with almost $100 million, but spy thriller Silent Awakening posted a strong $34.2 million in second place and Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector with $24.3 million.