P10Fashion in the air

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AROUND 50 new movies will hit theaters by the end of August, taking the total of new releases over June-August to around 90,

according to leading online pre-sale sites maoyan.com and gewara.com.

China’s national college entrance examination, or gaokao, ended June 8, which means students have three months off. And families and teenagers form a big part of the theater-going population.

Just like in past summers, domestic productions again dominate the lineup.

When it comes to foreign fi lms, Christo-pher Nolan’s World War II epic “Dunkirk” will be released on the Chinese mainland Sept. 1, around 40 days after its North American premiere. Other Hollywood movies anticipated in summer are “Cars 3” and “Baby Driver,” which have already been released in North America.

The two movies are expected to be released on the mainland at the end of August.

Typically, big budget foreign movies seeking a global market are released on the Chinese mainland either simultane-ously or a bit later.

Industry watchers also see the summer as a key period to boost the domestic fi lm sector, which has been largely overshad-owed by its foreign rivals for at least the past six months.

In the fi rst half of 2017, around 250 movies were released in around 8,500 mainland theaters, raking in 27.2 billion yuan (US$4 billion), up 10 percent year on year, according to a report by the online ticketing platform Tao Piaopiao.

But only fi ve domestic movies, or 28 percent, were among the 18 blockbust-ers surpassing 500 million yuan.

More than 70 percent of Chinese-lan-guage movies earned less than 10 million yuan each.

But, in a piece of good news, 50 million more tickets were sold than in the same period last year, with the bulk of the increase coming from smaller cities.

Big-budget war fi lms such as “The Founding of an Army” and “Wolf Warriors II,” both set to debut July 28, are making waves as

this year marks the 90th anniversary of the formation of the People’s Liberation Army.

“The Founding of an Army” retells the story of the 1927 Nanchang Uprising, a major chapter in the Communist-Kuomintang confl ict during the civil war.

The makers of “Wolf Warriors II” are

50 films to hit theaters

so confi dent in their product that it is believed that they have signed a pre-pay contract with the distributors.

The producers believe that the movie will bring in at least 800 million yuan.

The fi rst “Wolf Warriors” movie, made with a budget of around 100 million yuan in 2015, made 525 million yuan at the box offi ce.

Wu Jing, the actor-director of the franchise, says the new movie, which has scenes shot in Africa, used 12 mili-tary tanks, two similar-sized helicopter props, 50,000 bullet props and more than 100 cars for the fi lm.

Using star power to attract the public to watch revolutionary content was fi rst tried in 2009 with “The Founding of a Republic,” and was followed with “Beginning of The Great Revival,” also known as “The Founding of a Party” in 2011.

Coming-of-age movies are also doing well. “Fist & Faith” (which debuted Thursday) is about Chinese teenagers fi ghting Japanese invaders in north-eastern China in the 1930s, and “Our Shining Days,” which premieres July 28, is about Chinese folk music.

Hong Kong veteran musician Kubert Leung is the music director of “Our Shin-ing Days,” which features top talent such as Japanese pop diva Mika Nakashima and Chinese mainland songwriter-singer Zhou Bichang.

Animated fi lm fans also have cartoon features to entertain them.

But “Dahufa” (“Safekeeper of the State”), now ranked as one of the most anticipated animated movies, is differ-ent. It is a rare Chinese movie with a self-rated certifi cate. The cult tale is a hybrid of traditional Chinese ink painting-like landscapes and violence.

But for its supporters, “Dahufa,” which was completed last year, is a milestone for the Chinese animated fi lm industry, which has often been criticized for lack of appeal when it comes to adults.

The sci-fi movie genre, another weak spot for the Chinese movie industry, is also seeing new contenders.

After Yang Mi’s sci-fi thriller “Reset” received mixed reviews, a new tale “Meow” starring Hong Kong star Louis Koo is in the fray.

“Meow” features a cute, fl uffy alien, and producers hope it will resonate with pet lovers.

The fantasy genre, which typically dominates TV dramas, is also seeing big-screen versions of the small-screen hits.

“The Legend of Naga Pearls” and “Once Upon a Time” are two examples of such fi lms. (China Daily)

A scene from Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic “Dunkirk.” File photos

(From L) Scenes from “The Founding of an Army,” “Wolf Warriors II” and “Our Shining Days.”

(From L) “Fist & Faith,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Dahufa” and “The Legend of Naga Pearls.”