Science fiction industry steadily gains momentum

The four-day 2025 China Science Fiction Convention wrapped up on Monday in Beijing, where the China Science Fiction Research Center released the 2025 China Science Fiction Industry Report.

In 2024, the industry raked in total revenue of 108.96 billion yuan ($15 billion), showcasing notable capabilities in science fiction literature, derivatives and cultural tourism.

Established in 2020 by the China Research Institute for Science Popularization and the Chinese Science Writers Association, the China Science Fiction Research Center focuses on policy consultation and academic research within the sci-fi industry. The China Science Fiction Industry Report is published annually.

The comprehensive report explores five core sectors — sci-fi literature, film and television, gaming, derivatives, and cultural tourism. It delves into development trends and future trajectories of the Chinese sci-fi industry each year.

The report highlights the sci-fi reading sector's steady growth from 2017 to 2024, with a 10.7 percent year-on-year revenue increase in 2024 totaling 3.51 billion yuan. Notably, the contribution of new sci-fi titles surged, while digital and audio works accelerated development.

In 2024, the sci-fi film and television industry recorded a total revenue of 6.71 billion yuan. Despite a dip in science fiction box-office earnings, micro-short films and short videos in the genre gained momentum, and the stature of sci-fi film festivals rose steadily.

The sci-fi gaming industry saw a total revenue of 71.81 billion yuan, with enhanced growth in computer and console-based games, and a marked improvement in game production standards.

Additionally, the sci-fi derivatives industry saw a revenue of 2.53 billion yuan, marking an 11 percent year-on-year increase. The market displayed signs of recovery, with domestic original IPs taking the lead.

The sci-fi cultural tourism sector achieved 24.4 billion yuan in revenue, with local theme park projects gaining a larger revenue share from the previous year. Sci-fi stage plays and scripts are transitioning toward refined content and elevated operations.

According to the report, the Chinese sci-fi industry is entering a pivotal phase characterized by format integration and innovation-driven growth, solidifying its position as a key player in the global sci-fi landscape.

With technological advancements, policy support, and increasing market demand, various segments of the Chinese sci-fi industry are poised to accelerate collaborative innovation and continually enhance the industrial ecosystem.

He Junke, Party secretary of China Association for Science and Technology, said in a speech at the opening ceremony that the convention has become an important platform where technology intertwines with humanities and science fiction merges with economy.

With its enlightening essence, scifi can also help to nurture talents, and spark the curiosity and passion of young minds for scientific exploration, he added.

"We should fully utilize the power of science fiction — the most enriching, vivid, and imaginative part of popular science — to inspire, foresee, and provoke reflection on technological innovation," he said.