discussion keeps the world turning.
This is Roundtable.
China's summer box office is on fire, but some of the biggest hits aren't new stories.
They're old ones flipped on their heads.
Ancient myths as workplace comedies, a 25-year-old director's dream finally made real,
and a tiny dialect drama with no stars that became the year's most beloved film just by word of mouth alone.
Today, we'll check in with the box office and see which films we should be watching.
We're live from our studios here in Beijing.
Roundtable.
I'm Steve Hatherly.
Thanks so much for being with us today.
And for the show, I'm with Yuxian and Yuxian.
First up, this summer, China's cinemas are packed, but not necessarily for the reasons we'd expect.
The biggest domestic hits aren't runaway originals or Hollywood imports.
They're stories that Chinese audiences perhaps already know by heart.
Myths, legends, and even a director's own signature formula.
But told from angles that nobody's tried before.
One filmmaker finally found a movie he dreamed of 25 years ago after tech and timing caught up with his vision.
Another, a myth so familiar it's practically background noise reimagined as a workplace comedy.
And also a quiet family drama in a regional dialect with no stars and no promotion