How Boonie Bears Dominated China’s Lunar New Year Box Office for 12 Straight Years

Two animated bears have been printing money at the box office like clockwork for over a decade.

Every Lunar New Year, audiences flock to theaters for the same franchise.

And it’s working spectacularly.

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The Numbers Are Staggering

On February 18, 2026—just two days after release—Boonie Bears: Bears Every Year (Xiong Chumo · Niannian You Xiong 熊出没·年年有熊) had already raked in ¥300 million RMB ($41.7 million USD).

According to Maoyan Entertainment (Maoyan Yule 猫眼娱乐) Pro predictions, the final box office total is expected to exceed ¥1.2 billion RMB ($166.8 million USD).

But here’s where it gets wild.

The Boonie Bears franchise has been releasing a new film every single Lunar New Year’s Day since 2014.

That’s 12 consecutive years of dedicated theater releases.

Let’s look at the track record:

• 2014’s Boonie Bears: To the Rescue (Xiong Chumo · Duobao Xiong Bing 熊出没·夺宝熊兵) earned ¥247 million RMB ($34.3 million USD)
• 2025’s Boonie Bears: Back to Earth (Xiong Chumo · Chongqi Weilai 熊出没·重启未来) brought in ¥821 million RMB ($114.2 million USD)
• The previous 11 films accumulated ¥8.54 billion RMB ($1.19 billion USD) in total box office revenue
• Including the projected ¥1.2 billion from the latest release, the franchise is approaching nearly ¥10 billion RMB ($1.39 billion USD) in total Lunar New Year earnings

That’s not just a successful franchise—that’s a cultural institution.

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Why Boonie Bears Wins Every Year

So what’s the secret sauce?

According to Lai Li (赖力), an analyst at Maoyan Entertainment, the answer is straightforward: scarcity meets demand.

“Animation is a scarce resource during the Lunar New Year period,” Lai explained.

“Boonie Bears, with its focus on family-friendly entertainment and comedy, naturally commands a massive market space.”

Let’s break down why families keep buying tickets:

• Multi-generational appeal — Parents, grandparents, and kids all enjoy it together
• Zero cognitive load — It’s a “safe bet” with minimal decision-making risk for families
• Exceptional retention metrics — The series consistently hits a “multi-ticket purchase” ratio over 20%, far exceeding the industry average
• Strong geographic reach — Over 40% of viewership comes from Tier-4 cities, with particularly strong performance in East China
• Consistent screening availability — Cinemas guarantee stable screening slots based on 12 years of market trust

One viewer captured the appeal perfectly online: “I’ve been watching Boonie Bears since elementary school. This year’s movie made me both cry and laugh… It tells us through Briar that it’s okay to be ordinary and accept our imperfections. Inner peace is true strength.”

Another attendee described the multigenerational experience: “My son was cheering throughout; my husband and I were moved by the character growth; and the grandparents loved the traditional New Year customs shown in the film.”

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Who’s Behind the Bears? Meet Liang Guangwei

The mastermind behind this empire is Liang Guangwei (梁光伟), a 63-year-old businessman from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province.

He controls Fantawild Holdings Inc. (Huaqiang Fangte 华强方特) through the Shenzhen Huaqiang Group (Shenzhen Huaqiang Jituan 深圳华强集团).

Liang’s background is tech-focused—he graduated from the Computer Science department of Shenzhen University (Shenzhen Daxue 深圳大学) before joining the Huaqiang Group.

He’s now worth ¥19.5 billion RMB ($2.71 billion USD), according to the 2025 Hurun Global Rich List.

Despite his massive influence, Liang operates largely behind the scenes.

He doesn’t hold a direct management role at Fantawild—instead, he employs a professional management team to handle daily operations.

At the end of 2025, new leadership took over:

• Dun Zhongjie (顿忠杰) became Labor Representative Director
• Rong Zhigang (戎志刚) was promoted to President
• Liu Daoqiang (刘道强) resigned as President but remains Chairman

Both Dun and Rong are longtime Fantawild veterans who previously served as General Managers of Fantawild Animation.

This new team just took their first major test with Bears Every Year, and they’re passing with flying colors.

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The Plot: What’s This Year’s Film About?

The latest installment follows the iconic trio: Briar (Xiong Da 熊大), Bramble (Xiong Er 熊二), and Vick (Guangtou Qiang 光头强).

This time, they acquire mysterious “divine powers.”

But there’s a twist.

When Briar unexpectedly becomes the weakest of the group, he falls into a villain’s trap while trying to change his circumstances.

Chaos ensues.

The film resonates because it tackles real themes—accepting our imperfections and finding strength in inner peace rather than external power.

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Why Boonie Bears Is Critical for Liang’s Real Empire: Theme Parks

Here’s what most people miss: the films aren’t the real business.

They’re the marketing engine.

The actual money-making machine is Liang’s network of theme parks.

Every year, the new Boonie Bears film keeps the IP fresh in audiences’ minds, driving foot traffic to his parks year-round.

As of September, Liang had built and operates over 40 theme parks across China under various brands:

• Fantawild Adventure
• Dreamland
• Oriental Heritage
• Water Park

These parks span cities from Wuhu to Xiamen and Zhengzhou.

The strategy is genius: movie scenes and characters get translated into physical attractions.

For example, following the success of previous films, the Ningbo Fantawild park recreated futuristic and forest scenes from the movies—attracting over 600,000 visitors in its first year.

In 2025, the standout performer was the Ziyang Fantawild Park in Sichuan, which hosted over 1 million visitors since its debut.

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The Numbers Behind the Theme Park Business

• Total Revenue: ¥2.68 Billion RMB
• Theme Park Contribution: ~90% of Total Revenue
• Net Profit Margin: 3.7%
• Theme Park Global Ranking: #2 by Attendance

Here’s how massive the park business is:

In the first half of 2025, Fantawild recorded ¥2.68 billion RMB ($372.6 million USD) in total revenue.

Theme parks contributed nearly 90% of that total.

However, there’s a catch: the net profit margin for the park business remains low at just 3.7% due to high sales and financial expenses.

This is why the films matter so much—they’re low-margin margin boosters that drive high-margin visitor traffic.

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The “Asset-Light” Strategy: Scaling Beyond Capital

Liang isn’t just building parks with his own money.

He’s using a clever “asset-light” model to scale faster:

• Building parks in partnership with investors while providing specialized equipment and management services for a fee
• Providing equipment and services to investors without investing direct capital

This model lets him expand rapidly without tying up massive amounts of cash.

In early 2026, the company signed a deal with Longgang City, Zhejiang (his home province) to co-invest in a new creative project—signaling continued momentum.

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The Risk: What Happens When the Bears Underperform?

The franchise’s importance became crystal clear in 2025.

When Boonie Bears: Back to Earth underperformed with ¥821 million RMB ($114.2 million USD)—lower than expected—the impact rippled across the entire company.

In the first half of 2025:

• Cultural content revenue dropped 60.1% to approximately ¥330 million RMB ($45.9 million USD)
• Net profits plummeted 79.5%

That’s the downside risk of betting so heavily on one franchise.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room…

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The Search for the Next Hit: Can Liang Create Another Boonie Bears?

Despite the success of the bears, Liang has yet to create a second IP with the same cultural impact.

Fantawild has released other projects including:

• Sequels like Zhao Lin’s Adventure Diary II
• New national-style fantasy content like Dragon and Xiao Xiao (Long yu Xiao Xiao 龙与萧逍)

None have achieved “breakout” status beyond niche children’s audiences.

The challenge is real: one decade-long hit doesn’t guarantee you can replicate it.

But Liang has built the infrastructure to try.

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The Technical Advantages: A Strong Foundation for New IPs

Here’s what most competitors don’t have: a deep technical moat.

Fantawild possesses:

• Over 2,000 intellectual property rights
• Independently developed VR track systems
• Panoramic dynamic theaters
• In August, they showcased a two-hour theatrical film created entirely by AI

The company’s 4D film systems are exported to over 40 countries, including the US and Canada.

This technical prowess allows Boonie Bears to maintain a steady one-film-per-year release schedule and localized versions in over 100 languages for 70+ countries.

That’s not just an animation studio—that’s a tech company wearing an entertainment mask.

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The Global Recognition: Beating Disney in Theme Park Attendance

According to TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) data, here’s something remarkable:

Fantawild’s theme park attendance ranked second globally in the 2024-2025 period.

The only company ahead?

Disney (Disini 迪士尼).

That’s not a typo.

A Chinese entertainment company built by a low-profile tech entrepreneur from Taizhou is competing with the most iconic entertainment brand in the world.

With massive visitor flows and a robust technical base, Liang has built fertile soil for future IPs.

The next blockbuster franchise may just be a matter of time.

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The Takeaway

The Boonie Bears franchise isn’t just a box office phenomenon—it’s a masterclass in building a moat around entertainment IP.

For 12 straight years, Liang Guangwei has shown that consistency, family-friendly content, and geographic reach can create a machine that prints money.

One film per year.

Over ¥10 billion RMB ($1.39 billion USD) in Lunar New Year box office revenue.

40+ theme parks driving recurring revenue.

The bears aren’t going anywhere—and neither is Liang’s grip on China’s entertainment economy.

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References

• Two Bears Battle for 12 Years: Taizhou Boss Sweeps ¥10 Billion Box Office – 21st Century Business Herald
• Company News – Fantawild Holdings Inc.
• China Movie Market Data – EntGroup