China's box office soars to summer record, dominated by domestic productions

BEIJING - China's box office has hit a new milestone, with staggering earnings of 17.8 billion yuan ($2.47 billion) in the 2023 summer movie season as of Friday morning.

Data from the China Film Administration shows that this year's summer movie season, spanning from June to August, has surpassed the previous 2019 record of 17.78 billion yuan in box office revenue.

Chen Jin, an analyst with Chinese box office tracker Dengta Data, highlighted that, unlike previous years when one or two films would outperform the rest, the current summer season boasts a myriad of blockbusters.

Most notably, those were all locally produced, Chen added.

To date, the top six positions on China's 2023 summer box office chart are held exclusively by domestic productions.

The suspense thriller "Lost in the Stars" leads the chart, followed by the crime drama "No More Bets," the sports movie "Never Say Never," the fantasy epic "Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms," the animated feature "Chang An," and comedy-drama "One and Only."

According to Dengta Data statistics, the top five hits have collectively contributed to approximately two-thirds of summer box office earnings up to this point. The first four movies have each amassed 2 billion yuan, while the fifth film has garnered 1.7 billion yuan.

Industry observers attribute the success of the productions to their varied themes and high-quality content, demonstrating the immense creative potential of Chinese filmmakers.

For example, "Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms" and "Chang An" have captivated the audience by tapping into the fine traditional Chinese culture. Meanwhile, "No More Bets," which draws inspiration from real-life fraud cases across China, offers an unprecedented look into the complex web of overseas cyber fraud.

As of Friday morning, total box office earnings in China for 2023 have already surpassed 40 billion yuan. The summer season has witnessed a turnout of 435 million moviegoers across the country, with the box office having scored around 2 billion yuan for seven consecutive weeks.

In the meantime, Dengta Data figures indicated that an astonishing 52.7 percent of the audience stepped into the cinemas for the first time this year.

The impressive figures serve as a clear testament to the revival of the pre-pandemic vitality in China's film market, as acknowledged by experts in the field. Chen added, "The Chinese film market is steadily marching toward a renaissance."

With roughly two weeks remaining of the summer movie season, and in anticipation of another record-setting year for total box office earnings, industry insiders expect the remarkable upward trajectory to continue to an unprecedented peak of 20 billion yuan.