China's 2026 box office, including pre-sales, exceeded 16 billion yuan (around 2.4 billion U.S. dollars) as of Sunday, according to data from online platforms.
The low-budget family film "Dear You" has continued to gain both critical praise and box office success since its release, grossing over 1.6 billion yuan (around 236.5 million U.S. dollars), while securing a second place in the 2026 annual box office chart so far.
The Chaoshan (Teochew)-dialect film, featuring a largely unknown cast, centers on the tradition of "qiaopi", letters and remittances sent home by earlier generations of overseas Chinese in the 19th and 20th centuries, which serves as the emotional thread linking the film's central characters.
The film announced its global release plan on Friday. The first round of release will see it simultaneously hit screens across the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei on June 18.
China's 2026 box office tops 16 bln yuan
A senior official from China's State Taxation Administration on Tuesday reported major improvements in taxpayer convenience and a surge in overseas tourists using China's departure tax refund service in the first six months of this year.
Rong Hailou, chief economist and spokesman for the State Taxation Administration, made the remarks during a press conference held by the State Council Information Office in Beijing to outline tax reform and development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
He said the fully digitalized electronic tax bureau is now widely accessible. He noted that most high‑frequency tax services, including routine filing, invoice issuance, social security fee refunds, and personal contribution record inquiries, can now be handled online or via mobile devices.
The coverage of intelligent tax services has reached 85 percent, reducing average processing time by 20 percent, he said.
"We have piloted the 'instant invoicing upon payment' initiative in sectors closely related to people's daily lives, including parking lots, retail supermarkets, and hospitality services such as catering and accommodation, thereby improving the efficiency and user experience of invoice collection for consumers. We have also continued to refine the 'immediate tax refund' service for overseas tourists departing China. In the first half of the year, the number of overseas tourists using the tax refund service increased by 366 percent year-on-year, while the sales value of tax-refundable goods and the corresponding tax refund amount both rose by 69 percent," he said.
China posts tax service improvements, tourist refunds surge: official
