As cinemas across China continue to open despite sporadic Covid-related lockdowns in certain areas, the box office grosses have rebounded with local releases and a little help from Hollywood, specifically Jurassic World: Dominion which is the only US film on the top ten list, coming in at No. 4 this weekend.

Holdovers and rereleases mostly make up the list though there was one new entry and one film in previews.

One US-based company has been a great success in China. According to china.org, IMAX opened its first China office in 1998 and its first theater in 2001 at The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. As in the US, it segued from nature documentaries to blockbuster movies; its first hit was Avatar in 2010 at which point China had only 14 IMAX theaters. At the end of 2021, the number had grown to 783, and 2021’s revenue in China was reported as $113 million, with an adjusted net profit of $42 million compared to 2020s $4.6 million net loss.

One reason for this success story is that Chinese films are shot and released in the IMAX format as well, including Detective Chinatown 3 and The Battle at Lake Changjin, both super performers in the Chinese market.

Edwin Tan, CEO of IMAX China told china.org, “We ended with full-year revenue and earnings almost recovering to pre-pandemic levels despite a limited Hollywood slate . . . In addition, our strengthening footprint in local language programming demonstrates the largely untapped potential for IMAX China to gain market share.”

Hollywood films Moonfall, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and Jurassic World: Dominion were all released in the IMAX format in China.

For the weekend of July 22-24, these are the top ten films in China.

Chinese serial killer murder mystery Detective vs. Sleuths comes in at No.1 again this week. It made $14.23 million over the weekend with a total of $85.98 in 17 days of release including a week of previews. The story is set in Hong Kong and stars Sean Lau as a former detective force who had a mental breakdown. On his own, he goes after a serial killer called the “Sleuth.” The film costars Raymond Lam and Carman Lee Yeuk-tung, and is written and directed by Wai Ka-fai. It has an IMAX release.

Lighting Up the Stars stays at No. 2. The film is directed by Liu Jiangjjiang and tells the story of a funeral director (Zhu Yilong) and a young girl (Yang Enyou) who become friends once he gets out of prison. It has grossed $232.58 million in 31 days, with a three-day weekend take of $11.59 million.

Mozart from Space takes the third slot. The Chinese comedy, also known as Mozart in Outer Space, stars Huang Bo, Rong Zi Shan, Yao Chen and is directed by Chen C. Cheng. A boy wants to be an astronomer; his father wants him to be a pianist. They constantly quarrel until an alien, Mozart, appears before them with a secret mission. The film grossed $6.4 million over the weekend with a total take of $29.25 million over 10 days. It was highly anticipated but did not live up to expectations. It was released in the US this weekend.

In fourth place, JWD grossed $2.56 million over the weekend and has taken in $154 million so far in 45 days including its IMAX release.

New film Love Can’t Be Said comes in at No. 5. It tells the story of a woman who writes love letters to a man for over four years that she never sends. It has earned $2.18 million in three days of release.

No. 6 on the chart is Octonauts: The Caves of Sac Actun, a rereleased Netflix animated feature film from 2020 with a Chinese voice cast. It has grossed $10 million over the 16 days of its rerelease. It is based on the television series written by Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy and is about eight little cartoon characters who live beneath the sea and go on adventures. There have been five TV seasons and two feature films.

Sci-fi animated film The Stones took seventh place with just under $2 million in three days of release; Return to Dust, a romantic drama, which debuted at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, is No. 8 with $1.9 million over 17 days; and Rainbow Sea Fly High, a Chinese animated film, came in at No. 9 with a total gross of $1.34 million in nine days of release.

Animated comedy Crazy.Kwai.Boo Sanxingdui (Spirited Away) opened in previews at No. 10 earning $0.07 million in limited release.

So far, no other Hollywood films have received release dates in China.