The summer movie season has begun!
Feeling the summer blaze yet?
With the mercury climbing, cinemas are about to come alive - it’s time for one of the most lucrative box office periods of the year.
Summer holds a multifaceted importance for the movie market. It draws students, families, and young audiences whose collective enthusiasm keeps the season consistently among the year’s top-grossing periods. It’s also the season that truly tests how strong and sophisticated the film industry is. From big-budget visual spectacles, to genre films and indie art gems, every kind of movie battles for attention, fueling technical innovation and new creative directions.
Every summer brings its share of box office legends. Wolf Warrior 2 in 2017 proved the market’s 5-billion-yuan potential, and 2019’s Ne Zha laid the groundwork for Ne Zha 2, this year’s 10-billion-yuan sequel. Other hits like Monster Hunt and Monkey King: Hero Is Back also made their mark during past summer seasons. More recently, Lost in the Stars premiered in April 2023 at the Beijing International Film Festival’s Competition Section and went on to gross 3.5 billion yuan that summer, ranking fourth for the year.
Lost in the Stars
The upcoming summer slate looks remarkably strong, with films of every size and style positioned strategically to energize the market.
| Vanguard: Realism Outshines Pure Entertainment
What truly matters to audiences is, and always has been, the story. The standout trait of this summer’s leading releases is their embrace of realism, rather than wrapping stories in glossy commercial entertainment, these films confront audiences with the truth of the world.
The June 21 debut of She’s Got No Name set the summer movie season in motion. Directed by Peter Chan and starring a stellar cast, this film premiered at Cannes last year, and after a year-long wait and being split into two parts, it has left audiences hanging in anticipation.
She’s Got No Name
Next up, Malice, released on July 5, was produced and co-written by Chen Sicheng. The puzzle-filled world of Chen Sicheng has become a summer tradition. Through genre films that tackle social issues, he has become the most successful “project manager” in this space.
Malice
So which film is the most anticipated this August? It has to be Dongji Island, directed by Guan Hu. The documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru introduced audiences to the story of Dongji Island, and now the narrative film Dongji Rescue promises to explore even deeper human details within the historical truth. Anticipation is high.
Dongji Island
Director Shen Ao’s new film, Dead to Rights, premieres on August 2. Like Dongji Island, it was made to Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Drawing on authentic footage of Japanese atrocities during the Nanjing Massacre, the movie exposes crimes that shocked the world.
Dead To Rights
These four films could well lead the summer box office over the next three months, but we must not overlook other films of varying scale and genre that carry equal social significance. F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt, hits screens June 27, bringing the real thrill of the racetrack to life. On July 31, Evil Unbound sheds light on the darkest period of the Anti-Japanese War. The Shadow’s Edge, hitting theaters August 16, sees Jackie Chan throw punches once more, proving his timeless screen legend.
F1: The Movie
Outside the mainstream commercial lineup, July 18’s Girl on Edge, August 15’s Scholars under Fire, and August 28’s My First of May offer nuanced, art-house takes on human nature.
| Mainstay: IP Is the Backbone of the Market
In China, IP has long been a familiar term in filmmaking. Despite fluctuations, it consistently shapes production strategies and shows up in key box office periods.
Kicking off this summer’s IP wave is the Japanese version of 言えない秘密, Secret. Released on June 20, it offers fans a chance to revisit a beloved story in a new context.
Secret
One of French literature’s classics, The Three Musketeers, has been adapted countless times. This summer sees two new versions: Les Trois Mousquetaires: D’Artagnan on June 21 and Les Trois Mousquetaires: Milady on June 28.
Les Trois Mousquetaires: D’Artagnan
Les Trois Mousquetaires: Milady
Hollywood, the home of IP, brings two veteran franchises back to the big screen this summer: Jurassic World: Rebirth on July 2 and Superman on July 11. Dinosaurs and superheroes were among Hollywood’s greatest screen spectacles in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, they still command the big screen.
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Superman
Adapted from Ma Boyong’s novel, China’s first-gen IP master’s film The Lychee Road hits theaters on July 25. As Dapeng’s first literary adaptation, this film has become a top curiosity for the summer lineup.
| Backline: Comedy Stays Firmly in Play
Just like IP-driven films, comedies always pack punch across the calendar. Even low-budget comedies can turn into surprise hits during packed release schedules.
That’s exactly what A Cool Fish achieved, and this summer, the sequel, A Cool Fish 2, hits theaters on July 5. It preserves the first film’s absurd comedic style while likely carrying over its acclaim and box office.
A Cool Fish 2
The summer’s most anticipated film is Jiang Wen’s long-awaited directorial return, You Are the Best. Based on Jiang Wen’s past works, this can’t be labeled a comedy, yet as he said at the Beijing Film Festival Master Class, “Life is inherently humorous”, so expect his unique wit in every frame.
Also on the radar is The Stage, Chen Peisi’s play brought to the big screen. The film’s theatrical origin won’t hinder audiences, given Chen Peisi’s universal appeal. On June 27, Better Man hits theaters, featuring pop rebel Robbie Williams turning into a chimpanzee in his biopic. On June 28, Life’s Party premieres with familiar face Xiao Yang leading the cast. Gift from a Cloud, a mysterious fantasy romance, arrives August 29 on the last summer release slot.
The Stage
| Supplement: A Burst of Variety in Animated Films
Every major season brings a family-friendly animated hit - one that everyone can watch with ease and joy. This summer, animated films, like live-action releases, are diverse and rich, designed to appeal across generations.
Art College 1994, which competed at the Berlin International Film Festival, opens June 21 - a rare gem for the whole year.
Art College 1994
Popular Japanese anime like Detective Conan and Kureyon Shin-chan have new films: Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback on June 27 and Shin Chan: The Adult Empire Strikes Back on June 28, familiar faces on China’s big screens.
Detective Conan: One-eyed Flashback
Pixar’s new film, Elio, opens June 27 and is perfect for a family movie night. Representing domestic animation this summer are Curious Tales of a Temple Chinese (July 12), The Legend of Hei 2 (July 18), and Nobody (August 2).
The Legend of Hei 2
Nobody
The summer window, a pivotal period, directly affects market confidence through the rest of the year into the next Spring Festival. As China’s film market becomes increasingly diverse, we still hope this traditional summer slot can continue to unlock the industry’s growth potential. It provides a solid gauge of the market’s maturity. Industry-wise, it helps cultivate new audiences. Culturally, it’s a vital stage for presenting China’s stories.
We look forward to another brilliant summer season, and, most importantly, to bringing audiences back to theaters and helping them fall in love with the cinema experience again.
