2023 Summer Box Office Sets New Records in the First Half
As of July 16, the box office for the first half of the 2023 summer season (June 1 – July 16) reached an impressive 8.787 billion, surpassing the 7.316 billion recorded in the same period in 2018. This significant increase broke the previous record for the summer box office in the first half. The film “The Missing She” contributed greatly to this success, earning a staggering 3.363 billion, surpassing the 2.543 billion earned by “I’m Not the God of Medicine” during the same period. As a result, “The Missing She” became the highest-grossing film in the first half of the summer season in the history of Chinese cinema.
On July 17, the trailer and poster for the movie “I Passed the Storm” were released. Produced by Lu Yang and Wang Hongwei, written and directed by Qin Haiyan, and starring Tong Liya and Wu Yuhan, the film explores the issue of domestic violence and tells a story filled with love, violence, and women’s struggle to break free from their husband’s control and fight for child custody. The official announcement for the movie will be made on August 17.
Another highly anticipated film, “Assassination Storm”, released the “Death Notice” version of its trailer on July 17. Directed by Qiu Litao and starring Louis Koo, Julian Cheung, and Francis Ng, the suspenseful crime movie captivated the audience with its frequent horrific murders, brutal victimization scenes, and the mysterious killer Darker. The film will debut nationwide on August 18.
“In the Octagonal Cage”, directed by Wang Baoqiang and starring Wang Baoqiang, Chen Yongsheng, and Shi Pengyuan, achieved a box office breakthrough of over 1.5 billion. The film released the feature film “Cloud Opening and Mist Release” on July 17, showcasing an emotional scene between the characters Ma Hu and Su Mu in prison.
“Thirty Thousand Miles of Chang’an” became a box office success, surpassing 700 million in total earnings and attracting 16.85 million viewers. This animated film not only became the highest-grossing work of a light-chasing animation single film but also entered the top ten box office rankings for Chinese animated films.
“Enthusiasm”, starring Huang Bo and Wang Yibo, released a special video showcasing the dynamic interaction between the passionate master and apprentice. Directed by Dapeng and written by Su Biao and Dapeng, the movie will hit theaters nationwide on July 28.
“The ending song of “Tea No. 2 Middle School” exceeded 100 million yuan in the first weekend,” winning the single-day box office champion in the three eastern provinces. The film recently released the ending song MV titled “How are you”, which brings back the nostalgic feeling of listening to Jay Chou’s tapes during the summer. The film received a score of 8.3 on Douban, marking the highest score for a domestic comedy in the past eight years.
“Variety Martin: Monster Wars”, the first big movie of the animation series “Variety Martin”, unveiled its ultimate trailer on July 17. The film retains the ever-changing superpowers of the character Martin while introducing a multiverse transformation adventure. Fans can catch the movie in theaters nationwide starting from July 22.
In other news, a new trailer for the deep-sea monster blockbuster “The Meg 2: The Abyss” revealed Wu Jing’s first underwater scene. The film stars Jason Statham and Wu Jing, and it is set to be released worldwide on August 4th.
On July 16, acclaimed British actress Jane Birkin passed away at the age of 76. Known for her roles in films such as “Blow Up”, “Tragedy on the Nile”, and “Crime in the Sun”, Birkin was a prominent figure in the French film industry. She also inspired the iconic Hermès bag, which bears her name.
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