Films from Greater China, Q2 2026: the quarter in review
Editors Β· 2026-10-06
In the second quarter of 2026, the low-budget film Dear You, made for 14 million yuan, pulled off an upset by passing 2 billion yuan by the end of its run. Over the Labor Day holiday the crime thriller Vanishing Point took No. 1 at the box office and the Hong Kong police film Cold War 1994 took No. 2, while the Hong Kong action film The Furious reached theaters after screening at Toronto and other film festivals abroad.
Unless otherwise noted, box office figures are for mainland China as of the time they were reported.
Dear You β a low-budget film's 2-billion-yuan run
It opened first in Guangdong on April 30 and expanded nationwide across China on May 3. A grandson buried in debt sets out to find his grandfather, rumored to have struck it rich in Thailand, and uncovers the story behind the qiaopi (letters with remittances that overseas Chinese sent to their hometowns) that kept arriving at the family home for decades. Most of the dialogue is in Teochew, the language of eastern Guangdong. Lan Hongchun directed, and most of the cast are non-professional actors.
Made for 14 million yuan, it earned 2.005 billion yuan from 58.82 million admissions by the end of its run on September 30, the highest box office of any Chinese-language film released in the second quarter.
Dear YouView title details βVanishing Point β No. 1 over the Labor Day holiday
This crime thriller opened in China on May 1, topped the box office over the Labor Day holiday and passed 500 million yuan on its 36th day. On the winter solstice, a nine-year-old child vanishes from an apartment building without leaving a trace on the security cameras, and the circumstances of other residents become entangled with the case.
Taiwan-born Cheng Wei-hao wrote and directed it, and Zheng Kai, Liu Haocun and Roy Chiu star. In Korea it skipped theaters and was released on Netflix on September 10.
Vanishing PointView title details βCold War 1994 β a prequel to the Cold War series
This Hong Kong police film opened in mainland China and Hong Kong on May 1 and is a prequel to the series that began with Cold War in 2012. Longman Leung directed, and Daniel Wu, Terrance Lau and Wu Kang-ren star, with special appearances by Chow Yun-fat, Aaron Kwok, Louis Koo and Tony Leung Ka-fai.
It placed second at the box office over the Labor Day holiday and earned about 297 million yuan in mainland China; in Hong Kong, it took HK$38.08 million through the end of June.
Cold War 1994View title details βThe Furious β a Hong Kong action film that toured the festivals
It premiered in the Midnight Madness section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, finishing as second runner-up for the section's People's Choice Award, and opened in Hong Kong on June 12, 2026. A father who cannot speak loses his daughter to a human-trafficking ring in a Southeast Asian city and teams up with a journalist searching for his missing wife to hunt down the gang.
It was directed by Kenji Tanigaki, known as the action director of the Rurouni Kenshin films, and stars Xie Miao, Joe Taslim and Yayan Ruhian. It was made in English, and it opens in Korea on October 7.
The FuriousView title details βI Know Who You Are β Feng Xiaogang's spy drama
It opened on June 19. A police station chief tracks down a spy who has long lived in hiding under the identity of a teacher; the film is based on Zhang Ce's novella Wu Hui Zhui Zong (ζ ζθΏ½θΈͺ). Feng Xiaogang directed, and Lei Jiayin and Hu Ge star. It placed third at the box office over the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, and its mainland box office is about 120 million yuan.
I Know Who You AreView title details β