Moviegoers relish intriguing plot diversity of screen offerings

This year's cinematic lineup of the Chinese box office has proved a feast for Zhou Lin — a dedicated cinephile who had already watched more than 10 foreign productions at brick-and-mortar theaters by June.

They include French Oscar-winning crime drama Anatomy of a Fall, the United States' documentary Kim's Video, and dystopian war thriller Civil War.

This year's selection of foreign films is much richer in terms of genre and content than when imported movies were predominantly those churned out in Hollywood, Zhou says.

According to an official tally, at least 30 imported films have been released in domestic cinemas this year. While they come from multiple countries and regions, they also cover a range of genres, like sci-fi, action, animation and drama.

Yu Chao, deputy general manager of Beijing's Capital Cinema chain, says that ticket sales for imported films have accounted for about 15 percent of the chain's total revenue since the start of this year.

In the first half of this year, the mainland Chinese film market generated a total box office revenue of 23.9 billion yuan ($3.29 billion), according to Mtime, one of the country's top film news sites. This figure falls short of the 26.2 billion yuan recorded during the same period last year.

Legendary Pictures' Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is among the top-grossing films on the Chinese mainland so far this year, with nearly 1 billion yuan in ticket sales. Other top earners include Oscar-winning animation The Boy and the Heron, and sci-fi epic Dune: Part Two.

The momentum of cultural diversity and exchange on the silver screen has rolled into major film events in China. During the 2024 Beijing International Film Festival, a selection of more than 250 outstanding Chinese and foreign films were screened across 27 partnership theaters and venues.

Featuring a total of 461 films from various countries and regions, the recently-concluded Shanghai International Film Festival offered another audiovisual treat for moviegoers.

During the Cannes Film Festival in May, Mao Yu, deputy director of the China Film Administration, pledged further efforts to import films in more diversified genres from more countries.

While domestic moviegoers in China are enjoying a more international and culturally diverse lineup on the silver screen, the opportunities for film enthusiasts in other countries to watch Chinese movies are also increasing.

At Cannes, director Guan Hu's drama Black Dog was granted the Un Certain Regard award, and several other Chinese films competed in various festival categories, including Caught by the Tides and Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.