"Raging Fire," the last movie from the late Hong Kong director Benny Chan, blazed strongly on China's big screen. The action flick has grossed 243.2 million yuan ($37.6 million) over its opening weekend, topping the Chinese box office in the past week (July 26 - August 1), according to the online movie-ticketing platform Maoyan.

Starring celebrated action stars Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse, the crime title, released on July 30, is the final directorial effort by Benny Chan, one of Hong Kong's leading action directors, before his death last August.

The crime action picture, following the antagonism between a righteous cop hunting for a gang of drug traffickers and his former protégé, who leads the criminal group to come seeking revenge, has earned strong reviews, scoring 9.5 (out of 10) on Maoyan and 7.8 on Douban, a Rotten Tomatoes-like film rating website.

Coming in second at the box office with 176.2 million yuan ($27.3 million) in ticket sales was the domestic animated film "White Snake 2: The Tribulation of the Green Snake," a sequel to Light Chaser Animation's 2019 hit "White Snake: The Origin," which has garnered a cume of 447 million yuan ($61.6 million).

The fantasy animation, inspired by the ancient Chinese folktale "Legend of the White Snake," hit cinemas nationwide on July 23 and has accumulated a total gross of 382 million yuan ($59 million) as of August 3.

Another new release over the weekend is the youth romantic drama "Upcoming Summer." The coming-of-age film, starring rising actors Wu Lei and Zhang Zifeng, took third place on the current chart with a three-day gross of 134.3 million yuan ($20.7 million).

The film depicts a love story between a girl who has failed China's Gaokao, also known as the National College Entrance Exam and a free-spirited boy who returns to school after missing the exams.

The Wuhan-set anti-epidemic film "Chinese Doctors" ranked fourth with a gross of 102.1 million yuan ($15.8 million) in its fourth week of opening. The cinematic portrayal of China's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has seen its cumulative revenue reach 1.25 billion yuan as of Tuesday.

In fifth was the animated feature "Agent Backkom: Kings Bear" with 23.8 million yuan ($3.7 million) in weekly takings.

China's 2021 box office revenue has surpassed 30 billion yuan (about $4.64 billion) as of July 24, reaching nearly $4.8 billion so far with the on-screen title "Chinese Doctors" climbing to the fourth at the yearly chart, following domestic Spring Festival blockbusters "Hi, Mom" and "Detective Chinatown 3," and Hollywood production "F9: The Fast Saga."

The 30-billion-yuan milestone this year was reached about a month later than in 2019, when the same figure was hit on June 22, marking a healthy recovery of Chinese cinemas, which reopened at the end of last July after a six-month coronavirus-induced hiatus. 

For stakeholders in the industry, they have seen more promising signs in a year into the reopening of the world's largest cinema market.

According to an IMAX China report released on July 28, the company has shown a strong revenue rebound to $53.4 million for the first half of 2021, up from $6.7 million a year ago, driven by a strong year-over-year recovery in the box office and increased installation activities.

"We started off 2021 on a strong note with record-breaking New Year's Day and Chinese New Year opening weekend box office, continued network growth and expansion in new theater signings," said Edwin Tan, CEO of IMAX China, noting that the jumbo-screen cinema platform has become the go-to entertainment choice as Chinese consumers increasingly seek for a premium experience and exhibitors look to differentiate their offerings.

"Our strong first-half revenue and earnings rebound to levels approaching that of 2019 underscores the rising value of IMAX to Chinese consumers, filmmakers, and exhibitors," said Richard L. Gelfond, Chairman of IMAX China.

"Our record local language box office demonstrates our opportunity to gain further market share as local content gravitates towards high production value genres," added Gelfond.

More titles of different genres from home and abroad are set for release in the following weeks, including the British production "A Christmas Gift From Bob," a sequel to the 2016 biographical film "A Street Cat Named Bob," which is set to open on this Friday, August 6.

Next weekend will see the highly-anticipated release of "The Battle at Lake Changjin" on Friday, August 12. The war epic, jointly directed by Chen Kaige, Hark Tsui, and Dante Lam, spotlights the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) in a courageous battle during the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953), featuring an all-star cast, including renowned actors Wu Jing, Zhu Yawen and rising star Jackson Yee.

Also on the slate is sports drama "Water Boys," which is set to hit cinemas on August 13, depicting the brotherhood and team spirit shared by five teenage boys, who join a synchronized swimming team for distinct reasons.