As of yesterday, the summer box office has passed 9bn yuan. Animation took a record share of the total, with three domestic animated films in the year’s top ten.

The composition of the audience has shifted noticeably towards family screenings. Several chains report family tickets in afternoon and early evening slots up around six percentage points on last year.

September will be more spread out

Cinema chains say September scheduling will tilt towards mid-budget films — partly because fewer tentpoles are available, partly in response to a fragmenting audience.

You can no longer carry a month on one or two films. You need several, each finding its own audience.— Head of scheduling at a cinema chain

The trade reads animation’s strength as a long-term change in who is going to the cinema, rather than the success of any single film.