China's summer box office revenue, including pre-sales, had topped 1.8 billion yuan (about 265 million U.S. dollars) by 11:00 Saturday, according to data from online platforms.
Nearly 80 Chinese and foreign films are set to hit theaters during the summer movie season which runs from June 1 to August 31, spanning a wide range of genres from revolutionary history and sci-fi to comedy and animation.
Comedy films such as "The Thrifty Angel," "Keep Real," "It's My Time," "Kung Fu Soccer," and "Make Zhonghe Great Again" are what many audiences are looking forward to.
As an indispensable genre of the 2026 summer movie season, animated films ranging from new domestic productions to sequels of popular imported IPs, have become favorites among many young people and families.
To date, more than 15 animated films have been released or scheduled for release during the summer.
Among them, the imported animated film "Toy Story 5", which premiered during the Dragon Boat Festival, continues to generate buzz.
"Minions and Monsters" topped the daily box office charts at most cinemas nationwide on Friday, its opening day.
"We pay close attention to domestic animated films. For example, (the upcoming) 'All Wishes Come True' and 'Three Kingdoms: The Fight for Luoyang', we'll definitely take our children to see them," said an audience member. "From what we're seeing now, family-friendly films like 'Keep Real' and 'Minions and Monsters' are drawing many parents with their children and even some slightly older audiences. Cinemas have launched a wide variety of promotional activities, such as senior citizen discounts, offering greater discounts than in the past," said Yu Chao, deputy general manager of Capital Cinema.
China's summer box office exceeds 1.8 billion yuan
A former U.S. official said the current administration has moved away from the founding fathers' ideals, raising concerns about the erosion of equality and democratic values at the heart of America's 250‑year legacy.
Speaking in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Thomas Fingar, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research and a researcher at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, offered a stark assessment as Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
He stressed that the founding document's renowned assertion that "all men are created equal" is no longer upheld by incumbent leaders, underscoring his concern that core democratic principles are being eroded.
"My interpretation of the liberal, democratic character, religious freedom, that 'all people are created equal,' I think that aspect of it, this administration has moved away, and the Supreme Court has moved away from that. So, I think that set of the founding fathers that believed that would be distressed. Those that wanted to preserve slavery, wanted to keep women from participating in politics, they might be happier," Fingar said.
Regarding political polarization in the U.S., the former official noted that as the economy and livelihoods are no longer going as well as before, Americans are suddenly paying attention to politics again, hoping to see the country move back toward a more moderate and pragmatic political center.
"Most Americans became quite complacent about politics, because things were going pretty well. We were more prosperous, the world was basically peaceful, particularly East Asia after the normalization of U.S.-China relations -- unprecedented political and economic growth in the region, from which we benefited enormously. So [Americans] stayed out of politics. Now stuff isn't going so well. And Americans are paying attention again," Fingar said.
"And as always happens, it starts on the fringe -- fringe left, fringe right. The crazies first show up. Most Americans are still in the middle of the bell curve, and what we want most is compromise and decisions, not paralysis. And that's [why] the election results are moving in that direction, and how far they move in November we'll see. I would hope they'd move pretty far back towards moderate," he added.
Trump administration drifting from founding fathers' vision: former official
