China is continuing to experience a box office boom this year, driven by a nationwide campaign to spur consumption with cheaper cinema tickets while a series of big summer releases are also enticing film fans out to theaters up and down the country.
Seen as one of the most lucrative periods of the year, China's summer box office season, which officially runs from June 1 to August 31, has now generated more than 10.7 billion yuan in box office revenue as of midday Thursday.
This has helped propel China's total box office revenue for 2026 above 26.5 billion yuan (over 3.9 billion U.S. dollars) as of Thursday afternoon, with more than 670 million moviegoers and over 96 million screenings recorded, according to the latest data from a leading Chinese ticketing platform.
The diverse line-up of summer blockbusters covers a broad range of genres, including comedy, animation, sci-fi, war, and suspense and action, offering audiences more choices and helping attract viewers from different age groups and with different interests.
Among the best performers is the anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," which tells the story of a chef working at a Chinese restaurant in the Middle East when war breaks out in the 2000s. It has drawn positive feedback both for its perspective on war and the vivid portrayal of life in the Middle East.
In just 10 days since its release on Aug. 11, the film has raked in over 1.2 billion yuan, catapulting it up the box office charts as it closes in on the year's biggest grossing films.
Ticketing data shows that the current top four on China's annual box office chart are the auto-racing sequel "Pegasus 3", Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" about a team of female footballers, the touching family drama "Dear You", and animated film "All Wishes Come True!"
China launched a nationwide campaign this year to boost the cinema sector, with at least 1.2 billion yuan in subsidies planned throughout 2026 to make movie-going more affordable. Data shows the average ticket price for domestic-made movies has dropped to 39.5 yuan (less than 6 U.S. dollars) this year, some 20 percent lower in 2025.
China's summer film season continues as consumption campaign entices moviegoers
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday called on China and Indonesia to strengthen all-round cooperation and pool greater development synergy to jointly tackle risks and challenges.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while co-chairing the first Conference of China-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue Mechanism with Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono in Jakarta.
Noting that the current international situation is marked by growing turbulence and uncertainty, with unilateralism and hegemonic practices seriously impacting global security and development, Wang said it is timely for China and Indonesia, as major developing countries, to strengthen strategic communication and deepen strategic cooperation, which carries important and far-reaching significance beyond bilateral relations.
Wang said China has always placed Indonesia in an important position in its diplomacy, particularly its neighborhood diplomacy, and is ready to work with Indonesia to enhance mutual understanding and support.
Stressing that the conference marks an important milestone in bilateral relations, Sugiono said China's development has brought enormous opportunities to the world, particularly neighboring countries such as Indonesia.
He said Indonesia and China share closely intertwined interests and stressed the importance of strengthening coordination with China for mutual benefit as Indonesia advances its development strategies.
Sugiono added that Indonesia firmly adheres to the one-China policy and supports China's cause of reunification.
The two sides also agreed to uphold strategic autonomy and firmly support each other's core interests. They also decided to launch the formulation of the China-Indonesia Five-year Action Plan (2027-2031).
Both sides agreed that deepening cooperation in energy and mineral resources serves their common interests, and expressed readiness to jointly build a comprehensive, open and green partnership in energy and mineral resources.
Indonesia spoke highly of the contributions made by Chinese companies to local development, noting that the success of Chinese companies is also a success for Indonesia. It expressed readiness to provide Chinese companies with a fair, transparent and friendly business environment.
The two sides also pledged to expand cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence and poverty reduction. They agreed to restart cooperation in fishing, accelerate maritime cooperation and push forward joint development.
They agreed to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and work toward the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.
Both sides agreed to hold the second meeting of the dialogue mechanism in China next year.
Chinese FM calls for stronger all-round cooperation with Indonesia to tackle risks, challenges
