A total of 89 new movies have hit the theaters during the period, translating into 20 million screenings and 249 million tickets sold, combined figures from China Film Distribution and Screening Association and Beacon showed.
▲Moviegoers wait outside a cinema in Shanghai on July 15. The big screen shows a scene from the animated movie Chang’an. [Photo provided to China Daily]
In recent years, China has witnessed a growing interest in domestic movie productions. The trend has continued this summer, with the top three highest-grossing films all being Chinese releases.Following the champion is Never Say Never, the second directorial venture of action actor-turned filmmaker Wang Baoqiang. Adapted from a true story, the movie — which has raked in over 1.8 billion yuan — portrays how a group of underprivileged rural youngsters struggle for survival and success through martial art competitions.
Chang'an brings to life on the screen a total of 48 poems composed by some of the dynasty's most famous poets, prompting many parents to take their children to theaters so that they could learn about these literary masterpieces.
For most industry insiders, the momentum created by these Chinese blockbusters signals a promising future for the domestic film industry, which has already grossed over 32.7 billion yuan in the first seven months of the year.
Hu Jianli, secretary-general of the China Film Critics Association, said that this summer movie season is the first after pandemic prevention measures were lifted, and the speed and scale of recovery of the film industry has exceeded expectations.He added that big-budget Hollywood movies, once highly popular among the local audience, have now been overshadowed by Chinese movies. The underwhelming market performance of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One are prime examples.
While the charm of Hollywood is diminishing, the Chinese film industry has made remarkable progress in terms of budget and special effects, leading to visually captivating cinema that resonate better with local audiences due to the familiar cultural elements, Yuan explained.
The highly anticipated upcoming releases include One and Only, which follows the story of a young dancer pursuing his hip-hop dream, and Meg 2: The Trench, the sequel to a successful Sino-US sci-fi coproduction. The two movies are scheduled to be released on July 28 and Aug 4, respectively.
