Summer box office picks up steam

Despite the summer heat, China's film industry is gearing up to captivate a sea of cinemagoers during this traditionally lucrative box office season.

As of Thursday, the film market had grossed more than 26.6 billion yuan ($3.67 billion) in ticket revenue since the beginning of this year. It is currently riding on momentum fueled by the summer season, which began on June 1 and will last until Aug 30, according to film information tracking platform Maoyan.

Malaysian director Sam Quah's A Place Called Silence, a suspenseful crime film about a series of murders resulting from campus bullying, is currently in the top spot on the summer box-office charts, raking in 984 million yuan.

The latest information from the China Film Distribution and Exhibition Association reveals that 85 films have been or will be released between June and August. Among them, 49 premiered in June and as of Monday, 18 more films had made their debuts.

During a recent event hosted by the administration to gather creators behind the latest big-name films, Lu Liang, deputy head of the China Film Administration, said that the summer season would be a feast of high-quality domestic films.

"This summer, filmmakers will present their latest work in theaters with the aim of resonating with audiences. While some may not yet meet the highest standards, the work reflects their sincere commitment to storytelling," Lu says.

The most anticipated films include Wuershan's fantasy film The Traveler, Chen Sicheng's espionage tale Decoded, female director Hu Mei's The Dream of the Red Chamber, and Light Chaser Animation's feature White Snake: Afloat.

As the Chinese equivalent of the mutants in Marvel's X-Men franchise, The Traveler — adapted from comic artist Mi Er's best-selling graphic novel The Outcast — depicts a group of individuals with super abilities and exceptional martial arts skills who disguise themselves as ordinary people to live in the modern world.

"The movie intertwines elements from Chinese philosophy, traditional wushu (martial arts) stunts and modern youth fashion. The comic has a large fan base in China, exemplifying the increasing appeal of domestic comics in recent years," says Wuershan.

Based on the 2002 novel of the same title by Mao Dun Literature Award-winning writer Mai Jia, Decoded tells the story of a math genius dedicated to deciphering intelligence information between the 1950s and '60s.

Chen says that he hopes the film will serve as a tribute to the unsung heroes who fought for their country, much like the protagonist in the film, and hopes it will evoke appreciation for those who risk their lives fighting on secret front lines.

With its string of culture-oriented blockbusters, like last year's animated blockbuster Chang'an, Light Chaser Animation has been dubbed "China's Pixar "by some domestic industry insiders. Continuing the studio's trademark of drawing inspiration from traditional culture, its upcoming film White Snake: Afloat — the final episode in the White Snake trilogy — retells the story of a snake demon who shape-shifts into a beautiful woman to bravely pursue her love for a young man in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Yu Zhou, cofounder and president of Light Chaser Animation, says that the story marks the studio's first attempt to retell this tragic household tale, which has been circulating in China for centuries, in comedic form.

Additionally, new digital technology will be employed to bring to life the famous scene in which the snake demon and the man meet on the Broken Bridge, one of the most renowned spots on West Lake in Hangzhou.

Adapted from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novelist Cao Xueqin's classic, The Dream of the Red Chamber retells the famous Chinese Romeo and Juliet love story on the silver screen, re-creating some of its most iconic scenes, such as the first meeting between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, the two protagonists.

Hu says that each era produces its own interpretation of Cao's masterpiece, deemed one of China's four great classical novels.

"Our goal is to create a film that honors both the original text and aligns with contemporary aesthetic standards. We hope to present young viewers with a fresh, accessible and vibrant version of the classic novel in this two-hour movie," she says.

Lai Li, a market analyst at Maoyan, says that the movies released or scheduled to come out over the summer cover a wide range of genres, including suspense, romance, comedy, action and animation.

Despite the fact that compared to the same period last year, the market has yet to see a blockbuster make more than a billion yuan — the threshold for defining a film as a runaway hit — it has become more heated in recent days, largely fueled by news of upcoming high-profile releases.

He adds that in addition to domestic movies, the industry is also expecting the market to be propelled by big-budget Hollywood releases, such as Marvel's superhero movie Deadpool &Wolverine and Warner Bros. Pictures' disaster film Twisters.

Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, says that despite lackluster performance following the Spring Festival holiday, the film market is now gaining momentum during the summer season. He adds that he believes the current buzz surrounding new releases will not only elevate the summer box office, but also contribute to the ongoing recovery of the domestic market.