China's box office revenue in 2026 (including pre-sales) exceeded 20.3 billion yuan (approximately $3 billion) as of July 21. Among the films that surpassed the 100 million yuan mark, there are 22 titles, and the hit 'Dear You' earned 2.1 billion yuan (about $310.4 million) in the global market.
The outstanding work created in Guangdong province highlights the strong position of the southern region as one of the country's leading film production centers. The film 'Dear You' became the biggest success of the year among blockbusters produced in Guangdong.
The film's plot tells the story of a young metropolis resident who returns to his hometown village and discovers old letters, which changes his perception of his grandmother's past. Despite a relatively modest budget and extensive use of the Chaoshan dialect, the film exceeded industry expectations, earning over 2.1 billion yuan worldwide.
After recognition in China, the film gained popularity abroad following its premiere in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, and other international markets. In Singapore, screenings in the original Chaoshan dialect sold out within 90 minutes of ticket sales starting, making the film the highest-grossing Asian film of the year in that country.
The emotional depiction of family ties and the heritage of Chinese people overseas resonated strongly with audiences across Southeast Asia, especially among ethnic Chinese communities. Industry analysts note that this film refutes the long-held assumption that only large projects with star casts and massive advertising campaigns can generate huge profits. Instead, they argue that authentic storytelling based on daily life and local culture remains one of the strongest factors for commercial success in the developing film market.
Guangdong maintained its status as the country's largest box office market, collecting 2.91 billion yuan (about $430.5 million) from ticket sales. Meanwhile, films shot in the province generated a cumulative income of 5.32 billion yuan (about $786.7 million), accounting for approximately 26.2% of the national total. Six films produced in Guangdong exceeded the 100 million yuan threshold this year, including animated, thriller, comedy, and feature films. Besides 'Dear You', these include 'Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector', 'The Fire Raven', 'The Caged Butterfly', 'Kung Fu Soccer', and 'A Part of Me.'
These results are characterized by industry observers as Guangdong's first year of a 'double crown'—leadership in both China's film consumption and the commercial success of local films.
The province's outstanding performance reflects long-term political support aimed at forming a complete film industry ecosystem, rather than just short-term box office growth. In May 2025, Guangdong introduced a package of 15 measures to stimulate the high-quality development of its film and television industry, covering all stages of production: from script development and shooting to distribution, screening, and intellectual property commercialization.
This provincial initiative was reinforced by more than 80 supporting measures introduced by cities and counties across Guangdong. Over several months, authorities allocated 160 million yuan (about $23.6 million) in subsidies for production, distribution incentives, and post-release awards for outstanding film and TV projects.
Political incentives have attracted about 1,700 new film and television enterprises with registered capital exceeding 5 million yuan established in the province, including a growing number of leading production companies. Industry infrastructure expanded parallel to financial support. Guangdong established a provincial network of filming services connecting provincial and municipal authorities, ensuring optimized production services, location resources, and administrative assistance. Over the past year, this platform has served 344 production teams, facilitated 258 shoots, cataloged over 650 filming locations and more than 20 professional production bases, while reducing the time required for filming permits and business registration by 50% to 70%.
Talent development has also been a key element of the province's strategy. Through its 'Star' Program, Guangdong funded emerging filmmakers and supported low- and mid-budget projects. Between 2024 and 2025, this initiative supported 20 feature films, some of which were selected for major domestic and international film festivals. The recent win by 'Dear You' director Lan Hongchun at the SCO International Film Festival 2026 in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, on July 19, 2026, with the 'Best Director' award, underscored the growing international recognition of Guangdong's new generation of filmmakers.
The International Literary Festival of Paraty (FLIP), held in Brazil, featured participation from figures such as José Tolentino Mendonça and Ana Paula Tavares, alongside the 'Literary Journeys' proposals by José Luís Peixoto and Mar Becker, and activities from Casa da Arquitetura.
This year's FLIP runs until the 26th and pays tribute to the Brazilian poet Orides Fontela (1940-1998), who was awarded the Jabuti Prize in 1983. The event gathered various authors, including José Tolentino Mendonça, Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida, Ana Paula Tavares, Andrea del Fuego, Cármen Lúcia, Cláudia Lucas Chéu, Conceição Evaristo, Marília Garcia, Milton Hatoum, Andrei Kurkov, Kamel Daoud, Maria Reva, and Zadie Smith.
The 'House of Portugal: Literary Journeys' initiative, curated by José Luís Peixoto and Mar Becker, will present fifteen discussion panels. These panels will feature authors from Portugal, Brazil, Angola, and Guinea, exploring 'different landscapes of literature in the Portuguese language.' Writers such as Ondjaki, Tatiana Salem Levy, Florbela Paraíba, Ana Suy, Mariana Salomão Carrara, João Gabriel Lima, Elisseu Banori, and Fernando Pinto do Amaral will be part of this journey.
In parallel, Casa da Arquitetura launched its program at FLIP+ with the presence of writers Valter Hugo Mãe and Ignácio de Loyola Brandão, and architect Solano Benítez. This segment will host over fifty Portuguese and Brazilian guests, distributed across sixteen debate panels, editorial launches, and encounters focused on themes such as literature, architecture, heritage, territory, environment, and climate change, as announced by Casa da Arquitetura - Portuguese Centre for Architecture, which is responsible for the curation.
This action is the result of a collaboration between Casa da Arquitetura and the literary festival, integrated into the FLIP+ program, whose purpose is to expand approaches and 'articulate new voices, languages, and channels of dialogue,' complementing the festival's main literary program. The opening of the program includes the meeting 'When the Century,' which will debate the present time, memory, human vulnerability, and the role of literature in the face of 21st-century challenges, featuring Portuguese writer Valter Hugo Mãe and Brazilian novelist Carla Madeira.
Valter Hugo Mãe will return on the last day to discuss collective memory, social transformations, and the capacity of literature to conceive possible futures with Brazilian writer Ignácio de Loyola Brandão.
Architecture and territory are central points at FLIP+. Creators such as Paraguayan architect Solano Benítez, winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale, Portuguese architect Inês Lobo, and architectural critic Fernando Serapião are involved. In a debate on urban strategies for climate change, Paula Mascarenhas, Renato Ogawa, and Silvério Regalado, Secretary of State for Local Administration and Territorial Planning, will participate. Another debate, focused on architecture as a driver of development, will feature Luís Pedro Martins, President of Tourism of Porto and Northern Portugal, and Nuno Sampaio, Executive Director of Casa da Arquitetura.
Among the guests announced for this partnership with Casa da Arquitetura were the Portuguese Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, and the Brazilian Minister of Environment and Climate Change, João Paulo Capobianco. Casa da Arquitetura's editorial dimension will be represented by the launch of three works: 'Lucio Costa Archive,' based on the estate of the Brazilian urban planner kept at the Portuguese institution; a new edition of 'Roots of the Future: Lucio Costa and Modern Tradition'; and 'Building the Open. Architecture and Verse,' which unites poetry, architecture, and photography.
Additionally, the proposal 'The future as a library: words, utopias, and dystopias,' organized by the Culture Department of the Porto City Council and moderated by councilor Jorge Sobrado, will bring together Eliana Alves Cruz, Rui Couceiro, and Vivien Mercier Suarez.
Nine months after the Louvre robbery incident, the Apollo Gallery has resumed operations. According to confirmations from the Louvre, this room, located in the museum's south wing, will no longer display its former valuable collections and artifacts.
The main focus will now be on restoring the wall paintings and sculptures to restore the appearance of one of the palace's most iconic rooms. Furthermore, enhanced security measures have been implemented, including the installation of grilles on the windows. These windows were the point of entry for the robbers on the morning of October 19, 2025, just half an hour after the museum opened.
The robbery was carried out by four men who used motorcycles to approach the facade facing the Seine, and then a freight elevator to access the gallery level. There, they used a circular saw to cut through the exterior glass. The operation took about seven minutes and involved the theft of eight pieces of jewelry, such as necklaces, tiaras, reliquaries, and gemstone brooches. Among the stolen items was Empress Eugénie's crown, which was lost during the escape.
The total value of the stolen goods was estimated at 88 million euros, but the historical value of these items is priceless. In addition to the damage to national heritage, this crime triggered a serious image crisis, revealing critical flaws in the museum's security system, which is visited by about nine million people annually. The incident led to several other problems, including floods, staff strikes, and gallery closures due to the fragility of the old palace's beams, whose territory covers 30 hectares, including the Tuileries Gardens.
The newspaper Le Parisien reported on Monday that the stolen but not stolen items, including Empress Eugénie's crown, which are still undergoing restoration after the damage sustained in October, will be moved to a new, highly secure room inside the museum that has no windows.
According to the current President of the Louvre, Christophe Leribois, the goal is to create a special hall that provides the best conditions for the preservation and security of exhibits. Following the attack, the Louvre accelerated the implementation of security measures, such as installing a mobile patrol inside the museum and improving the perimeter surveillance system. Nevertheless, Leribois himself warned in June, when he first addressed the Senate after replacing Laurence de Car in February, that modernizing security is a complex and lengthy process.
A long-term large-scale renovation project called 'Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance' (New Renaissance of the Louvre) has also been announced, as declared by French President Emmanuel Macron. This statement followed De Car sending a letter to the government warning about serious deficiencies in the museum's infrastructure, which are outdated due to age and inability to adapt to the consequences of climate change and the current number of visitors. The 'Louvre Nouvelle Renaissance' project includes, among other things, the opening of a new entrance on the east side of the vast complex and the creation of a new room for the most visited work, 'Mona Lisa', Leonardo da Vinci's Renaissance masterpiece.
