As this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) and the World Anti-Fascist War, two upcoming films will revisit this chapter of history. The film 731 is about the Japanese Imperial Army's Unit 731 and its brutal bacterial experiments in Northeast China, and Dongji Rescue is based on the true story of Chinese fishermen's daring rescue of British prisoners of war from a sinking Japanese cargo ship in 1942.

　　In addition, highly anticipated Chinese live-action films include maverick director Jiang Wen's new movie Ni Xing Ni Shang (Put Up or Shut Up), which recounts a 17-year-old's pursuit of his musical dream, and director-actor Da Peng's The Lychee Road, a Tang Dynasty comedy adapted from a best-selling book by novelist Ma Boyong.

　　Zheng Yang, an associate professor at the Film-Television and Communication College of Shanghai Normal University, estimates that the summer will ultimately gross 17.5 billion yuan at the overall box office, with an optimistic estimate reaching 19 billion yuan. According to Maoyan Pro, the summer season last year grossed over 11.6 billion yuan, with more than 72 percent generated by domestic films.

　　He analyzes that the summer market signals a new trend — upcoming films like 731 and Dongji Rescue show that Chinese filmmakers have become more adept at crafting wartime epics within commercial genres.

　　Several highly anticipated films are adapted from renowned works, such as The Lychee Road and Curious Tales of a Temple, making them more likely to attract online attention and expected to serve as strong boosters in heating up the summer season, adds Zheng.

　　Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn