Asia-Pacific's box office ended 2021 up 48.2% on the previous year, as China led the region's recovery from the pandemic.

Movie theater revenue totaled $8.76 billion in 2021 across China, Japan, South Korea and Australia, figures from OpusData, compiled by S&P Global Market Intelligence, show. Most of this was from China, which saw revenue rise 74.5% year over year to $6.76 billion.

Chinese war film "Chang Jin Hu" was the highest grossing of the year at $908.4 million. Lunar New Year releases "Ni Hao, Li Huan Ying" and "Tang Ren Jie Tan An 3" took second and third place, respectively.

Japan was the only tracked market to see a fall in revenue compared to 2020. It finished the year down 29.3% at $723.1 million. Toho Co. Ltd. and Toei Company Ltd.-distributed "Shin Evangelion Gekijôban" was the highest-grossing film of 2021 with $92.2 million.

Meanwhile, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," the latest in the superhero film series co-produced by Columbia Pictures Industries Inc. and Marvel Studios LLC, took the top spot in South Korea and Australia, where it earned $41 million and $31.7 million respectively.

South Korean box office revenues rose 37.6% year over year to $552.3 million.

The South Korean government announced in mid-December that it will bring back strict social distancing rules in response to rising COVID-19 cases, a month and a half after measures were eased.

The measures require South Korea's movie theaters and internet cafes to shut by 10 p.m.

Australia, in contrast, decided against imposing fresh COVID-19 measures in December. The country generated $725 million in box office revenues in 2021, a 28.7% year-over-year increase. This total was split across 547 titles, compared to China's 222 releases in 2021.