With approximately 696 million users and more than 100,200 affiliated companies, short-form serialized dramas have become one of the fastest-growing entertainment sectors in China. According to Sina, the market is expected to reach 67 billion yuan by 2025, highlighting the explosive rise of this new media format.
Short films have now overtaken traditional cinema in terms of growth. Public data shows that the short film market exceeded 10 billion yuan in 2022, while China’s annual box office revenue was just over 30 billion yuan. By 2024, short film revenues had increased by more than 50 billion yuan, surpassing box office earnings, which were around 40 billion yuan. This reversal reflects a major shift in audience viewing habits towards bite-sized, mobile-friendly content.
No longer limited to simple entertainment, short fiction has evolved into a broader ecosystem that connects users, brands and cultural trends. Business models have expanded beyond pay-per-view to revenue sharing, brand collaborations and integrated industry chains.
According to 36Kr, Maple Leaf Interactive is currently the market leader with its ReelShort app. Launched in 2023, ReelShort reported revenue of nearly 4.3 billion yuan by 2025, driven largely by easily digestible plots centered on popular clichés such as powerful CEOs, wealthy family marriages and fantasy romance. The platform has also gained ground internationally.
The boom created a new generation of stars. Actress Ma Qiuyuan earned the nickname “Queen of Short Films” after appearing in around 30 projects in just two years. In October 2025, Ke Chun, nicknamed the “King of Short Films”, attracted over 100,000 concurrent viewers during a live stream, setting brand sales records. Actor He Jianqi, who rose to fame through the short drama Affectionate Seduction, reportedly generated more than 2 million yuan in a single live stream selling baby care products, followed by nearly 200,000 additional orders later.
Industry observers note that short fiction is gradually shifting from the original model of “fast, low-cost production” towards higher quality, fueled by fragmented entertainment demand, capital inflows and supportive policies. Many local governments have incorporated short plays into cultural industry development plans, offering incentives to position them as new drivers of cultural consumption.
However, the rapid expansion of the industry has also exposed deep-rooted problems. Content homogenization, illogical scripts, copyright infringement, and distorted values remain widespread. According to The Paper, the most pressing challenge lies in script development, which requires more diverse source material, creative breakthroughs and stronger long-term narrative potential.
One of the main problems is the over-adaptation of online novels. Popular web fiction is often remade repeatedly in multiple short film versions with different casts.
At the Hangzhou Short Drama Conference in November 2025, Zhao Youxiu, chief producer of Tinghuadao, bluntly criticized the industry, saying that many 2025 productions were almost indistinguishable. He cited more than 5,000 short dramas featuring the “CEO on drugs” cliché and more than 3,000 dramas involving the female protagonist who enters the wrong hotel room. Overused clichés like amnesia, misguided benefactors, sons looking for a father, contract marriages and evil female rivals have pushed the industry into creative stagnation.
Some projects have reached the point of total absurdity. In mid-2025, China Time reported on the short viral drama “Unicorn Bears a Child, Blessing from Heaven,” in which a woman gives birth to 99 children at once after a single night with an emperor, accompanied by a mythical qilin descending from the sky. The plot drew widespread ridicule and criticism.
Academics have also expressed alarm. An assistant professor in the literature department at Southwest University observed that most short dramas rely heavily on sensationalistic web fiction, prioritize quick consumption, and lack meaningful reflection on social reality. Several productions have faced fierce backlash for vulgar or offensive themes.
One particularly controversial case reported by Guancha involved a short drama that depicted an 11-year-old girl getting married and giving birth, sparking public outrage. The series was quickly removed from all platforms, although the consequences for the production company remain unclear.
Issues related to work and the protection of minors also emerged. The Beijing Daily reported an incident in which a child actor was forced to stand in the rain for hours on set while the adult actors were protected by umbrellas. The child was reportedly only paid 800 yuan, and no replacement props were used to save time. China Youth Daily warned that using minors in adult roles or sensitive scenes turns children into tools of trafficking and monetization, violating both ethical standards and potentially criminal law.
While short films present enormous opportunities for China’s entertainment industry, their unchecked growth has underlined the urgent need for stronger regulation, content oversight and protection of core social values.
Sources: Znews
