Beat the heat at the movies

Cinemas are offering cool escape with a hot summer lineup of Hollywood and domestic films, Xu Fan reports.

As temperatures soar and schools break for summer, China's film market is heating up alongside the weather — entering its longest and one of the most lucrative box-office season of the year. From June 1 to Aug 31, more than 100 movies have been released or are set to hit theaters, aiming to attract millions of young viewers enjoying their holiday.

As of Tuesday, iconic star Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning has topped the summer box-office charts, grossing 455 million yuan ($63.5 million) since its debut on May 30.

As the latest chapter in the globe-trotting adventures of superspy Ethan Hunt and his fellow teammates, the film sees them confronting a rogue artificial intelligence capable of triggering humanity's extinction. Featuring dazzling stunts — including Cruise's Hunt diving into a sunken Russian submarine in frigid waters — the film has scored 7.7 out of 10 on the popular review aggregator Douban, with some netizens commenting that it reminds them of the golden era of Hollywood action blockbusters.