Summer box office picks up steam

Adapted from Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) novelist Cao Xueqin's classic, The Dream of the Red Chamber retells the famous Chinese Romeo and Juliet love story on the silver screen, re-creating some of its most iconic scenes, such as the first meeting between Jia Baoyu and Lin Daiyu, the two protagonists.

Hu says that each era produces its own interpretation of Cao's masterpiece, deemed one of China's four great classical novels.

"Our goal is to create a film that honors both the original text and aligns with contemporary aesthetic standards. We hope to present young viewers with a fresh, accessible and vibrant version of the classic novel in this two-hour movie," she says.

Lai Li, a market analyst at Maoyan, says that the movies released or scheduled to come out over the summer cover a wide range of genres, including suspense, romance, comedy, action and animation.