Summer box office poised to achieve historical high

This year's summer season box office is set to hit a record. As of Thursday, the cumulative box office for the summer had reached an astounding 19.5 billion yuan ($2.68 billion), with Lost in the Stars securing the top spot with 3.52 billion yuan in box office earnings, followed by No More Bets with 3.16 billion yuan. And while Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms earned 2.36 billion yuan, Never Say Never made 2.20 billion yuan.

With a diverse array of films spanning various genres, this summer has seen a rich and vibrant offering of entertainers, which lured moviegoers, who had stayed away from cinemas during the COVID-19 pandemic, back to the silver screen.

This summer's lineup of excellent movies has been marked by a significant number of foreign movies. Yet Hollywood IP movies, once considered a sure formula of success, have failed to meet expectations. IP or intellectual property movies are related to huge franchises and comic book characters — Spider-Man: No Way Home is an example.

According to box-office tracker Maoyan, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts earned only about 600 million yuan after running for 23 days, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse didn't meet expectations despite having a certain degree of critical acclaim.

So what's behind the decline of Hollywood IP movies? As early as 2017, Hollywood films started losing their appeal in the Chinese market.

In films such as The Wandering Earth 2, the use of an advanced filmmaking technique, "virtual production", which merges real-time computer-generated imagery with live-action filming, shows Chinese filmmakers have learned this new technique. For sure, this new filmmaking technique, mastered by filmmakers in only a few countries including the United States, represents the future of the film industry worldwide.

That's why from The Wandering Earth to The Wandering Earth 2, the success is not only a testament to the productions' achievements or China's success in the sci-fi genre, but also a reflection of China's gradual progress in the field of cultural and industrial cinema.

Over the past decade, the exploration of innovative themes and genres that resonate with people's daily life, reality and traditions, has helped filmmakers alter the film and television industry's landscape, which had long been overshadowed by foreign films, especially Hollywood films.

Combined with the flourishing summer box office, the cultural and tourism sectors have been leading the consumption recovery in the country. Popular films like Chang'an have spurred the development of related cultural and tourism sectors such as tourist routes themed around Tang Dynasty (618-906) poetry, enriching the lives of moviegoers and tourists alike.

Chinese films and moviegoers, it seems, are engaged in a mutually beneficial interaction, with outstanding Chinese films not only attracting viewers but also reshaping their aesthetics and perspectives. This interaction has given rise to better and more diverse films, making it possible for Chinese films to perform well not only at home but also in overseas markets, as evidenced by the simultaneous release of The Wandering Earth 2 in China and abroad during the Chinese Lunar New Year this year.

Building on this foundation, the Chinese film industry will be able to better tell and sell China's stories and amplify China's voice in the international arena. And a more diverse commercial ecosystem will promote the development of Chinese films, including animated films, at a time when Hollywood's influence is declining, and help establish a development model that is tailored to China's conditions and unique characteristics.

The author is an associate researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.