The photo taken on June 30, 2024 shows film posters in a cinema in Fuyang, Anhui Province. Photo: VCG

China's box office has reached heights this summer, with domestic films performing well and imported films lagging behind. By Thursday night, the total box office for the 2024 summer season (including presales) had surpassed 5 billion yuan ($687.79 million). More than 100 of new films with rich themes and diverse genres are competing during the summer season.

Chinese domestic films have particularly stood out this summer. The animated film Into the Mortal World incorporates traditional Chinese cultural elements. The reality-themed film Upstream tells the touching story of ordinary people striving hard against adversity, conveying the strength of life. The sci-fi comedy Evacuate from the 21st Century uses virtual reality technology to bring an immersive viewing experience to audiences.

"Animated films have been a key focus this summer season," Sun Jiashan, an associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Administration, told the Global Times that since the summer period attracts many young viewers, animated films have always been a mainstay.  

The new Chinese-style animated film Into the Mortal World, which debuted on July 12, saw its rating rise to 7.8/10 on media review site Douban within days after release. 

Revolving around traditional Chinese culture and family values, this animation is adapted from the folk tale The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, also known as Niulang and Zhinü in Chinese, which can be traced to over 2,000 years ago. 

The film features traditional Chinese elements such as lanterns, dragon dances, embroidery, and celestial beings. In the film, the divine realm's architecture draws inspiration from Anhui-style buildings, while the use of colors in the movie follows the traditional Chinese painting technique of leaving broad, blank spaces in the composition of a picture.

Additionally, it incorporates contemporary popular elements such as hot pot, bubble milk tea, billboards, and bullet screens in a natural way. 

"Our design principle was presenting modern concepts with ancient materials and craftsmanship, ensuring the audience remains immersed in the story," Zhong Ding, director of the film, told the Global Times.

Among the booming summer film market, Shen Teng's Successor has stood out. Since its premiere, this film's box office has been on a continuous rise, with its single-day box office exceeding 200 million yuan for four consecutive days, making it the box-office champion of the summer season with more than 1.4 billion so far. 

On July 20, driven by Successor, the single-day box office of the domestic market exceeded 360 million yuan, showcasing the audience's enthusiasm for high-quality domestic films.

In contrast, Hollywood blockbuster Twisters has performed poorly in the domestic market, with a box office of only 7.4 million yuan in its first two days. Although the film's opening day box office in North America exceeded $34 million, it has failed to resonate with Chinese audiences. 

The failure of Twisters at the box office in China highlights Hollywood's predicament in the Chinese market. The film's simple plot, which revolves around a group of storm chasers trying to survive a tornado, failed to satisfy the increasingly diverse tastes of Chinese audiences despite some improvements in special effects.

This phenomenon reflects the differences in viewing preferences between Chinese and US audiences. 

In recent years, Chinese audiences have gradually lost interest in some Hollywood's assembly-line productions, preferring high-quality domestic films that can evoke emotional resonance.

In the past, Chinese audiences were full of expectations for Hollywood blockbusters, but with the improvement in the quality of domestic films and the enhancement of audience aesthetics, imported films must make breakthroughs in quality and innovation to regain the market.

Meanwhile, this summer has overall proven to be somewhat lackluster financially.

The 2023's summer box office surpassed 20.6 billion yuan, the highest in Chinese film history, even exceeding the pre-pandemic peak in 2019. According to Sun, 2024's summer box office may only approach that of 2023, while the total annual box office is expected to fall short of 2023, when the total box office reached 54.9 billion yuan. 

The summer season, Spring Festival, and National Day holidays have always been regarded as three major peak periods for film releases. 

However, Sun says that a focus solely on box-office numbers is inadequate when it comes to the big picture, especially at a time when confidence in the industry still needs further recovery, and the industry's ecosystem is undergoing repair. Therefore, a long-term perspective is essential to view the Chinese mainland film market's development.