The United Nations (UN) has called on all parties involved in the Gulf conflict to return to negotiations, warning that further escalation would have damaging consequences for the global economy.
At a press briefing on Thursday, Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN secretary-general, warned that the conflict is already squeezing global shipping and trade, and that further escalation would serve no one's interests.
"We are already seeing the impact on the global economy of the conflict in the Gulf, right? From the lack of freedom of transportation in the Strait of Hormuz, also now the lack of freedom of navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb, in the Gulf of Aden, leading up to the Red Sea. What we need is a serious return to negotiations, right? Because an increase in kinetic activity, an increase in economic conflict will not be good, as you say, for the global economy," he said.
UN urges de-escalation, return to dialogue in Gulf region
China's summer box office has surpassed 11 billion yuan (about 1.64 billion U.S. dollars) as of Friday evening, driven by a diverse mix of domestic and imported titles.
According to the latest data from online platforms, daily box office has exceeded 100 million yuan for 42 consecutive days. The summer movie season has drawn over 300 million moviegoers across more than 35 million screenings, with momentum continuing to build as new films hit theaters.
Although the summer movie season is drawing to a close, theaters in Beijing remain bustling, with many moviegoers reporting multiple visits this summer.
"I'm here today to watch The Odyssey. I watched Once Upon a Time in the Middle East a couple of days ago. It was really, really good," said a moviegoer.
This summer's movie season has featured more than 120 Chinese and foreign films, offering a rich variety of fresh themes and genres including war epics, sci-fi adventures, crime thrillers, and traditional Chinese-style animation, providing a wide range of choices for audiences with diverse tastes.
Kung Fu Soccer, All Wishes Come True, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day currently rank as the top three box office hits of this season. The anti-war and food-themed film Once Upon a Time in the Middle East has seen steadily rising critical acclaim and box office.
The comedy-mystery animated film Mystery of Chang'an is set to officially premiere on August 22, offering audiences an audiovisual experience that blends Eastern aesthetics with a wealth of imaginative ideas.
"The film actually has quite a lot of elements to it, like fantasy, suspense, adventure, crime-solving, and comedy," said Li Yingying, the film's producer.
In addition, imported films such as the thriller-adventure The End of Oak Street and the 4K restored version of the cinematic classic The Shawshank Redemption are also set to premiere in August, further enriching the summer movie lineup.
Industry insiders say that with several new releases poised to hit theaters in the coming weeks, this year's summer movie season is expected to close on a strong note, laying a solid foundation for the steady and positive growth of the film market throughout the year.
Diverse film lineup drives China's summer box office past 11 billion yuan
