China's summer box office hits $1.6b, local films take lion's share

China's box office revenue for the summer movie season, which runs from June 1 to August 31, totaled 11.2 billion yuan (about $1.6 billion) on Tuesday, according to box office tracker Dengta Data.

As of Tuesday evening, domestic movies "Successor" and "A Place Called Silence" and Hollywood sci-fi thriller "Alien: Romulus" ranked on the top three.

"Alien: Romulus" has raked in more than 550 million yuan at the box office since its release in China on August 16, making it the highest-grossing imported film of the summer season. At the same time, the film's Chinese box office has surpassed the North American one to become the world's largest.

However, by the end of August, only one Hollywood film, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," has made it onto the top 10 of China's 2024 box office rankings, coming in at eighth.

While several other Hollywood blockbusters have enjoyed global success, their box office earnings in China have mostly hovered between 100 million and 500 million yuan, a performance that can be described as modest at best.

As a wave of high-quality domestic films continues to be released, Hollywood productions are no longer enjoying the once overwhelming popularity they once had in China. Audiences are becoming increasingly discerning, and the formulaic narratives typical of Hollywood movies are increasingly failing to ignite a sense of novelty and enthusiasm among viewers.

During the summer box office season, domestic films held an overwhelming advantage in both revenue and critical acclaim. This summer, a diverse array of homegrown hits – from hilarious comedies and crime thrillers to animated works of Chinese folklore and new art films – catered to the tastes of audiences from all age groups.

Chinese animated film "White Snake: Afloat," blending mythological elements with a love story, reimagines a classic tale from a modern perspective while preserving its core narrative, breathing new life into the traditional story.

"Decoded," adapted from the novel by Mao Dun Literature Prize winner Mai Jia, visually translates the abstract and complex world of numbers and codes, alongside the protagonist's surreal subconscious dreams, into a vivid cinematic experience.

"This summer's movies offered me plenty of choices; there were comedies perfect for family viewing and action films that really got us young people fired up. All of them were fantastic," said one moviegoer.