China’s summer box office has surged to unprecedented heights, amassing a staggering 17.8 billion yuan ($2.44 billion) as of Friday morning, marking a remarkable feat for the 2023 summer movie season. In this dynamic landscape, domestic films have notably outperformed Hollywood productions such as “Barbie”.
Notably, four films have already surpassed the significant 2 billion yuan milestone, a new record for the summer film period. Among these triumphs are the suspenseful thriller “Lost in the Stars” and the crime drama “No More Bets”.
This surge in box office revenue assumes particular significance amidst a year marked by a sluggish revival in spending by Chinese consumers, following the relaxation of stringent COVID-19 policies towards the end of 2022.
According to the China Film Administration, the cumulative revenue from this summer’s film season, spanning from June to August, has eclipsed the previous record of 17.78 billion yuan established in 2019.
Unexpectedly, even though sports-themed films have not typically resonated with Chinese audiences, “One and Only,” a street dance production centered on a young man’s aspirations, has broken records as the highest-grossing domestic sports film in China. By Friday, this film had amassed over 850 million yuan, as indicated by data from Dengta, a movie industry information provider backed by Alibaba (9988.HK).
However, Hollywood productions have encountered a less favorable reception.
The Margot Robbie-led “Barbie,” which achieved success in global markets, amassed a mere 246 million yuan after nearly a month in theaters. Similarly, Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible–Dead Reckoning Part One” secured around 350 million yuan during a screening period extending over a month.
As of Friday morning, official statistics unveiled the sale of a total of 435 million tickets since June, further underscoring the robust attendance at cinemas.
