What's drawing millions of moviegoers to cinemas this year? 

The summer movie season has been a major force behind this year's box office growth. According to movie-ticketing platform Maoyan, China’s total box-office revenue in 2026 including pre-sales has surpassed 26 billion yuan (around $3.85 billion), with the summer season contributing more than 10.2 billion yuan to the total.

As of August 18, the top three highest-grossing films of the summer movie season are Kung Fu Soccer with 2.3 billion yuan, Spider-Man: Brand New Day with 1.6 billion yuan, and Once Upon a Time in the Middle East with 1 billion yuan.

Among this summer's releases, Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has become a standout hit with strong audience reception. Released on August 11, the film surpassed 1 billion yuan in box office revenue within eight days.

Set against the backdrop of conflict in the Middle East, the film follows Xu Fu – played by actor Shen Teng – a Chinese chef who travels there and opens a Chinese restaurant. He initially hopes to make a living through his cooking, but as violence spreads, his quiet life is disrupted by the conflict around him. Along the way, he builds relationships with the local residents and people from different backgrounds.

Other major contributors to the box office were domestic films, including the sports drama Pegasus 3, which grossed 4.4 billion yuan, the comedy Kung Fu Soccer, which grossed 2.2 billion yuan, the family drama Dear You, which grossed 2 billion yuan, and the animated film All Wishes Come True!, which grossed 1.6 billion yuan.