BEIJING: China’s box office has hit a new milestone, with staggering earnings of 17.8 billion yuan (US$2.4bil) in the 2023 summer movie season as of last Friday morning.
Data from the China Film Administration shows that this year’s summer movie season, spanning from June to August, has surpassed the previous 2019 record of 17.78 billion yuan in box office revenue.
Chen Jin, an analyst with Chinese box office tracker Dengta Data, highlighted that unlike previous years when one or two films would outperform the rest, the current summer season boasts a myriad of blockbusters.
Most notably, those were all locally produced, Chen added.
To date, the top six positions on China’s 2023 summer box office chart are held exclusively by domestic productions.
The suspense thriller “Lost in the Stars” leads the chart, followed by the crime drama “No More Bets,” the sports movie “Never Say Never,” the fantasy epic “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms,” the animated feature “Chang An,” and comedy-drama “One and Only.”
According to Dengta Data statistics, the top five hits have collectively contributed to about two-thirds of summer box office earnings up to this point.
The first four movies have each amassed two billion yuan (US$274.7mil), while the fifth film has garnered 1.7 billion yuan US$233.5mil).
Industry observers attribute the success of the productions to their varied themes and high-quality content, demonstrating the immense creative potential of Chinese filmmakers.
For example, “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms” and “Chang An” have captivated the audience by tapping into the fine traditional Chinese culture.
Meanwhile, “No More Bets,” which draws inspiration from real-life fraud cases across China, offers an unprecedented look into the complex web of overseas cyber fraud. — Xinhua
