China’s 2025 summer box office totaled over 11.96 billion yuan (around 1.68 billion U.S. dollars), surpassing last year’s seasonal earnings, according to the China Film Administration on Monday.

The summer movie season, which runs from June 1 through August 31, is traditionally one of the country’s most lucrative periods for theaters. This year, cinemas nationwide recorded more than 321 million visits, with ticket sales rising 2.76 percent and attendance up 12.75 percent year on year. Domestic productions accounted for 76.21 percent of the summer revenue, a higher share than last year, the data showed.
The top three summer releases were "Dead to Rights" (2.89 billion yuan), "Nobody" (1.455 billion yuan), and "The Shadow's Edge (879 million yuan)."

Strong summer performance helped push this year's total box office of Chinese movies past 40 billion yuan as of Sunday, including overseas earnings. The domestic market contributed 39.23 billion yuan, with more than 909 million admissions, both higher than the same period last year.

Overseas ticket sales have also surged, exceeding 770 million yuan this year, driven by hits such as animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" and the historical drama "Dead to Rights". The figure marks a multi-year high for China’s international film market.

This summer’s lineup reflected a deeper cultural resonance, with several releases commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. Films spanned genres including history, suspense, action, comedy, and animation, catering to diverse audience interests.

"Dead to Rights", which depicts atrocities committed during the Nanjing Massacre, has dominated the charts since its July 25 premiere. The film has set a new summer record for a historical drama and extended its theatrical run through September 24.

Other war-themed releases include "Dongji Rescue", which tells the story of Chinese fishermen braving gunfire to save over 300 British captives from the Japanese ship Lisbon Maru in 1942, and "Mountains and Rivers Bearing Witness", a documentary tracing China's resistance from 1931 to 1945, released on Aug 15, the anniversary of Japanese announcement of its unconditional surrender.