China's 2026 summer box office has surged past 6 billion yuan (886.77 million U.S. dollars) by Tuesday afternoon, highlighting the season's role as a key driver of annual revenue.
The milestone pushed the country's overall box office above 21.7 billion yuan, according to data from Maoyan.
China's summer movie season runs from June 1 through August 31, and is traditionally one of the country's most lucrative film periods.
This summer, more than 120 domestic and international films are slated to roll out, covering a variety of genres from historical dramas and comedies to action, animation and science fiction. Comedies in particular have stood out this season, led by a wave of homegrown titles drawing strong audience attention.
Among them, the comedy animation "All Wishes Come True" has become a breakout performer, with box office revenue having so far surpassed 800 million yuan.
Inspired by the classic Chinese myth of the Eight Immortals, the film utilizes a traditional landscape painting style to depict the mystical realm of Penglai and has struck a chord with audiences by delivering a heartwarming message of mutual support and resilience.
In addition, the sports-themed comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" has topped 2 billion yuan. The film is written and directed by Stephen Chow, marking his return to comedy filmmaking after a seven-year gap, and audiences have said it carries forward his signature style of humor blended with imaginative and high-energy competition.
China's summer box office rakes over 6 billion yuan
The U.S. state of Utah's Chinese Dual Language Immersion Program has served nearly 12,000 students from grades 1 to 12 in 98 schools, as many local parents are showing a vision that learning Chinese will help their kids gain better opportunities in the future.
Implementation of the program started in Utah in 2009, one year after the state adopted a legislation to provide financial support for bilingual immersion education.
"I have been learning Chinese for seven years," said a local student with a Chinese name He Jie in Chinese.
"Those were my parents' choice. I didn't want to do it at first, but I've kind of grown to like it more," said another student named Nel Sume.
"We thought it might open more opportunities learning Chinese. Around the world, U.S. is a big country, China is a big country. And so we thought they would be potentially given more opportunities as they get older if they learn Chinese," said a local parent named Asher.
Stacy Lyon, the state director for the Utah Chinese Dual Language Immersion Program, said that more local parents see their kids learning the Chinese language as a preparation for the future.
"In fact, I think the parents understand the particularly important ties between China and the United States, so they hope that their children can be prepared in language and culture," said Lyon.
Local mother Victoria said her daughter became much more confident in having contacts with people after coming back from a China trip earlier this year.
"Her confidence. She became really confident after we went to China and she could speak to the locals. So that was really, really cool to see," said Victoria.
"I can talk to others (in Chinese). I can order things (in Chinese). I know I can talk to Chinese people, so (Chinese) is a very useful tool," said a student named Sarah in Chinese.
The eagerness for face-to-face communication is precisely what makes the people-to-people exchanges between Chinese and American people so valuable.
"I got to go to China, I got to enjoy the food, I got to see everyone, I got to see how the world looks differently through everyone else's perspective. And I think that's just such a cool way. I would love to do a study abroad to China in my college years," said He Jie.
Utah's Chinese Dual Language Immersion Program serves 12,000 students in 98 schools
