China's total box office revenue for the 2026 summer movie season has surpassed four billion yuan (about 590 million U.S. dollars), driven by a diverse array of domestic and foreign films, industry data showed on Saturday.
The total box office revenue in 2026 has topped 19.7 billion yuan so far. The data includes current screenings and pre-sale tickets.
Nearly 90 Chinese and foreign films are scheduled for the summer 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.
Animated films have emerged as a primary engine driving both box office revenue and cultural consumption this season. They include the adventure feature film "All Wishes Come True," the comedy detective film "Demon Agent," and the epic film "Three Kingdoms: The Beginning," which was officially released on Friday.
"All Wishes Come True!", a family comedy inspired by the ancient Chinese Eight Immortals, has moved its release date up to Saturday. The film reimagines the Eight Immortals as ordinary workers, giving them office jobs, performance targets, and mortals' wishes to handle.
"We took a traditional aesthetic approach, such as the color scheme of green mountains and waters and the setting of Penglai, a legendary fairyland. All of this is rooted in traditional Chinese culture," said Cao Linlin, the film's producer.
"I saw 'Three Kingdoms: The Beginning' first, and I really liked it. Then I heard from friends that 'All Wishes Come True!' was fantastic. The plot sounded really interesting to me, so I decided to come and watch it," said a moviegoer.
"Three Kingdoms: The Beginning," now rated 8.1 out of 10 on Douban, China's leading film review social media platform, revisits the political turmoil that preceded the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD). The film, directed by Xie Junwei, comes from the team behind "Chang'an," the animated historical hit released in 2023.
The film follows the rivalries that brought warlords to Luoyang in today's central Henan Province, before their struggles gave rise to the Three Kingdoms period. It also uses poetry associated with Cao Cao to suggest the inner life of a figure better known for military strategy and political ambition.
To make that early world feel lived-in, the filmmakers drew on Han-era architecture, clothing and social customs. A large battle sequence, involving Cao Cao and thousands of new recruits, was animated by hand, with the team aiming for frames that carried the texture of paintings.
"I'm a big fan of Chinese animated films now. They focus more on Chinese stories, and that deeply appeals to me," said another moviegoer.
"We're sparing no effort to leverage animation technology, from visuals to sound and music, to present the classics in the best possible way, so that more people can understand and develop a love for our classic cultural treasures," said Yu Zhou, film producer.
Rich oriental aesthetics and high-quality local stories have not only ignited the passion of domestic audiences but also become the core competitive advantage of Chinese animation in its overseas expansion.
"With more than 5,000 years of civilization, we have a vast source of inspiration to draw from various stories of various dynasties," said Cao Zijian, general producer of comedy detective film "Demon Agent".
China's summer box office exceeds 4 billion yuan
China's summer box office exceeds 4 billion yuan
The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Friday officially handed over an upgraded version of MAZU, China's artificial intelligence (AI)-powered meteorological early warning solution, to Djibouti at a meteorological sub-forum of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai.
In July 2025, China donated MAZU-Urban, an AI-powered early warning system for multi-hazard disaster prevention, to Djibouti. It became the first version of MAZU deployed in that country.
The upgraded version combines an intelligent terminal incorporating meteorological chips and forecasting models with the existing system, forming an integrated solution for weather monitoring, forecasting and warning.
It improves forecast resolution from 9 km to 3 km, provides forecasts up to three days in advance and updates them every six hours. It also uses phased-array radar, AI forecasting models and Fengyun meteorological satellites to improve extreme weather monitoring and early warning.
The upgraded system is expected to be put into operation in Djibouti by the end of this year. The solution can also be adapted for cities, ports, airports and other weather-sensitive areas in developing countries.
"We are a semiarid country. We get floods, we get heatwave, we got cycle. We have so many disasters. So this MAZU will help us a lot," said Ismail Nour, director-general of the Djibouti National Meteorological Agency.
MAZU, an acronym for Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap and Universal, is China's cloud-based AI early-warning solution. Jointly developed by the World Meteorological Organization and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), it aims to provide timely and convenient weather and climate services while supporting multi-hazard risk reduction across regions.
"We will also leverage multilateral platforms of international organizations such as the World Meteorological Organization to develop the MAZU solution into a globally accessible public meteorological service product, contributing Chinese strength to global climate governance and sustainable development," said Zhang Xingying, director of the Department of International Cooperation under the CMA.
The meteorological sub-forum gathered guests from 18 countries and regions and six international organizations to discuss how AI empowers early warnings for all in response to climate change.
At the event, the China-Thailand Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Prediction and Early Warning of Meteorological Disasters was launched. According to the CMA, it is the world's first bilateral international laboratory dedicated to AI-driven meteorological applications.
In addition, China released the Fenghe meteorological service large language model and launched a global open-source plan at the forum. The plan aims to promote open sharing, strengthen international cooperation on disaster risk reduction, and broaden access to AI-enabled meteorological services.
This year, the 2026 World AI Conference runs from Friday to Monday under the theme of "AI Partnership for a Brighter Future."
The CMA set up a booth at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center to showcase the application effectiveness of MAZU, its innovative achievements in meteorological AI, and application scenarios in the meteorological service industry, while sharing China's experience in early warnings and disaster prevention and mitigation.
China hands over upgraded MAZU early warning solution to Djibouti
