Dear You sets new box office record for Guangdong-produced film

Dear You (2026) – a Shenzhen-backed family drama shot in Guangdong’s Chaoshan region – has made huge strides at the box office after recently becoming the second highest-grossing film in China so far this year. 

According to data from movie ticketing platform Mao Yan, the movie took the top spot as the highest-grossing Guangdong-produced film ever, after its receipts exceeded 1.98 billion yuan (US$292.75 million) yesterday, breaking the record previously set by the Shenzhen animated flick Boonie Bears: Time Twist (2024). 

As it stands, Dear You is currently ranked 43rd place in China’s all-time box office ranking, just behind movies such as Aquaman (2018), Never Say Never (2023) and Never Say Die (2017), which are in 42nd, 41st and 40th place respectively. The top three spots currently belong to Ne  Zha 2 (2025), The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) and Wolf Warrior 2 (2017). 

Based on Maoyan data, Dear You is currently China’s overall box office champion for the period between 1 June and 31 August. Its earnings during that time have exceeded 566 million yuan (US$83.51 million). Another Guangdong-produced film – Hong Kong comedian, Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Soccer – is currently positioned in second place, generating 524 million yuan (US$77.32 million) in ticket sales, following its release on Saturday.  

Dear You performing impressively outside of China

Outside of China, Dear You has also achieved phenomenal success in Southeast Asian markets. In a social media post on Saturday, Singaporean movie distributor, Golden Village Pictures, announced the drama had become the top grossing Asian film in Singapore in 2026, pulling in receipts of more than SG$2 million (US$1.54 million). 

The movie’s strong performance has been replicated in Malaysia, where it has topped the 2026 ranking for Chinese-language films. According to Malaysian theatre chain, Golden Screen Cinemas, Dear You’s box office takings in the country have already surpassed 15 million Malaysian ringgit (US$3.67 million). 

Produced with a low budget of just 14 million yuan (US$2.06 million), Dear You is a multi-generational family story that focuses on a grandmother living in Guangdong’s Chaoshan who finally finds out the truth behind her husband’s disappearance in Thailand decades after he immigrated there. A key plot device of the film is the historic documents known as qiao pi – remittance receipts and letters that overseas Chinese would send to their families in China. 

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The film’s runaway success has caught some by surprise due to its shoestring budget, non-commercial subject matter, casting of amateur actors and relative unknowns, as well as use of Chaoshan dialect rather than the standard language of Mandarin. 

Critically, Dear You has been well-received, earning a rating of 9.3 out of 10 on the Chinese film review platform Douban, and 8.4 out of 10 on IMDb.