Forty days. More than 100 million yuan (about $14.8 million) a day. And China's summer box office is still climbing.

As of August 21, China's total box office for 2026, including pre-sales, has surpassed 26.6 billion yuan (about $3.9 billion), according to Maoyan, a Chinese movie-ticketing platform. The summer box office has topped 10.9 billion yuan, with daily earnings exceeding 100 million yuan for 40 straight days.

Behind the summer box office boom

More interestingly, China's domestic films account for four of the five top-grossing movies in the country this summer. Chinese filmmakers are also telling a wider range of stories, across more genres.

Comedy Kung Fu Soccer leads the summer box office with more than 2.3 billion yuan, followed by the animated fantasy All Wishes Come True! with nearly 1.6 billion yuan. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the only foreign film in the top five, ranks third with about 1.4 billion yuan. Once Upon a Time in the Middle East, a war drama about ordinary people caught up in conflict, and Dear You, a family drama, round out the top five. Both have also drawn strong attention and received high praise from audiences.

And it is not just about genres. Chinese filmmakers are also finding different ways to tell stories.

Once Upon a Time in the Middle East is a good example. War has been the subject of countless films, but this one does not focus on soldiers, commanders or political figures. Its central character is a Chinese chef who has nothing to do with the conflict itself, but finds himself caught in the middle of it. The film follows him, restaurant workers and local children as they try to get through everyday life in a war zone.

A recent survey by the China Film Archive and Endata, a film industry research firm, gave the film a score of 87 out of 100, making it one of China's best-reviewed domestic films of the summer. It also ranked first for audience reach.

Director Wen Muye has said that food plays an important role in the film because it is part of how Chinese people understand everyday life. Rather than explaining Chinese culture to foreign audiences, the film uses familiar experiences such as family meals and caring for children to tell a story about war and its human cost.

Chinese filmmakers are becoming more confident in telling stories from their own perspective, even when the subject is not uniquely Chinese.

From Chinese films spreading out to competing abroad

Chinese films have long reached overseas audiences through film festivals and deals with foreign distributors. But now, more are getting theatrical releases abroad, with release plans tailored to local audiences.

All Wishes Come True, for example, began its overseas rollout on August 13, with screenings in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and other markets. Its English title was chosen to make the story easier for international audiences to understand, rather than simply translating the Chinese title word for word.

These details matter. Taking a film overseas is not just about finding a screen for it. It now involves thinking about how to make its story accessible to people unfamiliar with Chinese culture.

At the same time, China's huge movie market is becoming increasingly important to global studios.

Hollywood releases are paying closer attention to Chinese audiences and their viewing habits. Spider-Man: Brand New Day, for instance, opened in China ahead of its North American release and posted strong results. Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey has also made China an important part of its global release strategy.

The summer box office may be the headline. But where these films go next is the more interesting story.