China's 2025 summer box office, including presales, has exceeded 7 billion yuan (about 979 million U.S. dollars) as of 21:28 on Sunday, according to data from online ticketing platforms.

Single-day box office revenue hit a new high this summer, exceeding 380 million yuan on Sunday, the data showed.

The war-themed film "Dead To Rights" leads the charts at over 1.5 billion yuan (about 208 million U.S. dollars) in earnings. It tells the story of a group of Chinese civilians who took refuge in a photography studio during the Japanese aggressors' brutal occupation of Nanjing in 1937.

Other top performers are the Chinese comedy "The Lychee Road" and the American blockbuster "Jurassic World: Rebirth."

As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, a series of films, dramas, music, dance and art works are being released, commemorating the history of the war and promoting its legacy.

In addition to "Dead To Rights," two more films, "Mountains and Rivers Bearing Witness" and "Dongji Island," are scheduled to be released in theaters this summer. All three movies are based on real historical events and depict the Chinese people's resistance against Japanese aggression from different perspectives.

The summer movie season, which runs from June 1 to Aug 31, is considered China's most important film period after the Spring Festival holidays.