People visit a community themed on qiaopi of Chinese film "Dear You" in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, May 20, 2026. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

　　BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhua) -- China's word-of-mouth hit "Dear You" crossed the 1 billion yuan (about 146 million U.S. dollars) mark at the box office as of Sunday morning, according to ticketing platform Maoyan, reaching a major milestone for the low-budget, Chaoshan (Teochew)-dialect film featuring a largely unknown cast.

　　Released on April 30 with just a 3.6 percent share of nationwide cinema screenings and an opening-day box office of 3.77 million yuan, the film steadily gained momentum as audience recommendations spread. Sunday marked its 15th consecutive day atop China's daily box office charts, with its screening share climbing to 48 percent.

　　Despite lacking a star-studded production team, marquee actors or the kind of large-scale online marketing campaigns typically used to promote major theatrical releases, "Dear You" has defied expectations through strong word of mouth, drawing widespread praise from moviegoers, bloggers, critics and filmmakers.

　　The film currently holds a 9.1-out-of-10 rating on Chinese review platform Douban -- among the highest-rated domestic releases of the past decade -- and has become a broader cultural talking point in China, sparking extensive discussion about the reasons behind its success and what it may signal for the country's cultural and creative industries.