China's summer box office revenue surpassed five billion yuan (about 700 million U.S. dollars) as of 11:19 on Sunday, according to data from online ticketing platforms.
The figure included presales.
As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, a series of films, dramas, music, dance and art works themed around commemorating the history of the war and carrying forward its spirit are being released.
Among them, three notable films - "Death To Rights," "Dongji Island" and "Mountains and Rivers Bearing Witness" - would be released in theaters this summer. Each of these works is created on the basis of real historical events and presents the process of Chinese people's resistance against the Japanese aggression from different perspectives, highlighting the great spirit embodied in the war of resistance.
The film "Death To Rights" was already released nationwide on Friday. It draws from real photographic evidence of the Japanese army's atrocities committed during the Nanjing Massacre, which took place when Japanese troops captured the then-Chinese capital on Dec. 13, 1937 and, in over six weeks, killed approximately 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of World War II.
The film uses historical photos as a foundation to reveal the origins of the evidence of Japanese war crimes, showcasing the difficulties and obstacles in bringing these atrocities to light.
Dongji Island, located in Zhoushan, a coastal city in east China's Zhejiang Province, was the site where Chinese fishermen risked their lives to rescue British prisoners of war (POWs) during World War II.
The film "Dongji Island" is based on this real historical event - the sinking of the "Lisbon Maru," a cargo vessel requisitioned by the Japanese army to transport more than 1,800 British POWs from Hong Kong to Japan, and it will be released nationwide on Aug. 8.
The film features powerful visual scenes, including the massive ship capsizing, fishermen going out to sea in hundreds of boats, and POWs struggling for survival in the turbulent waters, conveying both the shock of the event and the weight of history through the application of a series of modern audio-visual technologies.
As the first panoramic documentary to showcase the arduous journey of the Chinese people's 14-year resistance against the Japanese aggression, the film "Mountains and Rivers Bearing Witness" serves as a reflection on history and a magnificent portrayal of the spirit of the resistance to the Japanese aggression. It is a tribute to the spirit and indomitable will of the Chinese nation.
The film will be released nationwide on Aug. 15, bringing audience back to that tumultuous and eventful period of time.
China's 2025 summer box office tops 5 bln yuan
