Studios Lean Into año nuevo lunar Season as Global Audiences Turn Out

As the año nuevo lunar celebrations begin on Feb. 17, 2026 ET, film companies and streaming services are staging targeted releases, marketing pushes and special screenings to capture holiday audiences across Asia and in diasporic communities worldwide. The annual window, long prized for family-oriented fare and high-grossing local titles, is drawing renewed attention from studios seeking to maximize international returns.

Calendar jockeying and tailored releases

Major studios have shifted several wide and regional releases into the weeks around the holiday, a strategy intended to benefit from increased foot traffic at cinemas and higher at-home viewing as families gather. Distributors are pairing comedies, animated features and star-driven crowd-pleasers with localized marketing, dubbing and promotional tie-ins aimed at mainland and overseas Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian markets.

In markets where the holiday is traditionally a peak moviegoing period, exhibitors are extending showtimes and adding early-morning family screens. Several distributors have also scheduled festival-style premieres and celebrity appearances timed to coincide with the first weekend of the holiday, offering limited-edition merchandise and themed concession items to enhance the theatrical experience.

Streaming strategies and hybrid windows

Streaming platforms are also adjusting programming models to capitalize on the año nuevo lunar audience. New short-run exclusives, family-friendly special presentations and curated holiday collections are being promoted heavily on home screens. Some platforms are experimenting with time-limited free viewings or discounted rentals in key territories to entice households who might otherwise spend on theatre outings.

The interplay between theatrical and streaming strategies is evolving. For titles that perform strongly in the box office during the holiday spike, streaming release dates are being tailored to extend the promotional momentum. For other projects, a streaming-first approach with premium pricing during the holiday window is being used to capture viewers staying in for gatherings and feasts.

Local-language cinema and festival effects

Local productions remain central to the año nuevo lunar market. Historically, domestically produced comedies and family dramas have dominated ticket sales during the holiday, and this year is no different. Regional filmmakers are leveraging holiday themes—family reconciliation, luck and tradition—to craft narratives that resonate with holiday audiences, and distributors are responding with aggressive theatrical rollouts.

Film festivals and cultural institutions are supplementing commercial offerings with curated lineups that highlight heritage and new voices. These programs aim to draw audiences who seek a mix of mainstream entertainment and culturally specific storytelling during the holiday period, while also offering filmmakers heightened publicity and awards-season visibility.

With the global box office increasingly dependent on strong performances in Asia, the año nuevo lunar season remains a focal point for release strategies. Studios that successfully marry localized content, timing and marketing stand to benefit from a concentrated surge in ticket sales and streaming engagement during this culturally significant window.

The next several weeks will reveal which projects capture the holiday zeitgeist and whether the blend of theatrical spectacle and at-home event programming reshapes how the industry approaches peak cultural moments in future years.