The 2026 summer movie season has ended, with the movie box office reaching 12.498 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 4.45%. Among them, the animated film "Eight Immortals!" "Relying on the core of traditional mythology and distinctive Sichuan cultural elements, it has achieved both box office and word-of-mouth success. Starting in August, the movie "Eight Immortals!" ” was released in many countries around the world. From "The Eight Immortals!" From Tieguai Li in "Nezha" to Taiyi Zhenren in "Nezha", the Sichuan accent with strong local characteristics has become the "standard feature" of domestic animation.
"the Eight Immortals! ", the vivid Sichuan-flavored characters have become one of the most discussed memory points among the audience. The down-to-earth dialect expression breaks the sense of distance between mythological themes and brings the screen charm of Sichuan dialect into the public eye again.
In recent years, Sichuan dialect characters have become popular, and the Sichuan accent can always quickly capture the audience's attention.
Wu Shuyuan, dubbing teacher at the Acting School of Sichuan University of Communication: There are some lines that are just delicious when spoken in dialect. The language's directivity, sense of distance, sense of object, and sense of communication are all very strong, so it will give people a great sense of empathy.
Nowadays, in the teaching of film and television universities in Sichuan, dialect dubbing has changed from an interest expansion to an important module of professional teaching.
Jiang Feng, a student at the Acting School of Sichuan University of Communication: Learning Sichuan dialect well will be of great help to me becoming a voice actor in the future.
Some screenwriters said that implanting Sichuan characters in the script creation stage and using the dramatic tension of the dialect to enhance the appeal of the narrative has become a mature way for Sichuan local film and television creation to break through the circle.
Xiao Kun, Vice Chairman of Sichuan Internet Writers Association and Screenwriter: From the perspective of screenwriters, Sichuan dialect, especially when used in some animations, is more likely to be successful. So now more Sichuan elements are appearing on the screen. I personally think that this is a general trend, and it is also the direction of our future research.
Movies spark fire, cultural museum and intangible cultural heritage
The story of the Eight Immortals comes alive
"Eight Immortals!" "The popular screening of "The Movie" has also spread the popularity to cultural and museum venues. This past summer, Sichuan Museum also followed the "Eight Immortals!" 》 became popular together.
The special exhibition of Yongle Palace in Sichuan Museum continues to heat up. Yongle Palace was built in memory of Lu Dongbin, one of the "Eight Immortals". In the exhibition hall, a white marble seated statue of Lu Dongbin sat in the center of the booth, attracting many visitors. Many movie fans came here after watching the movie to learn about the cultural context behind the myth of the Eight Immortals through the murals and statues, and to search for the source of the shape of the heavenly palace scenes in the movie.
Guangdong tourist Ms. Xu: I watched "Eight Immortals!" 》This movie, I am very interested in the mythical story of the Eight Immortals in it, and I also found that there are many Sichuan elements, so I came here to travel here and watched this exhibition together. After watching it, I felt that I had a better understanding of traditional culture.
There are also explanations and interactions of mythological stories on site, and the VR experience also makes the audience feel immersed.
Zhang Yuanyuan, commentator of Sichuan Museum: The number of visitors to Sichuan Museum this summer has reached an average of 15,000 people per day, which is also a manifestation of the vividness of cultural museums driven by film and television stories.
In addition to traditional cultural exhibitions, the linkage between intangible cultural heritage and film elements is also popular. In the cultural and creative store of the Chengdu Museum, cultural and creative products that combine the intangible cultural heritage skills of Shu Brocade with the mythical stories of the Eight Immortals have become popular peripherals for tourists to check in.
Chen Xingyu, Vice President of Sichuan Intangible Cultural Heritage Association: Whether it is movies or intangible cultural heritage, they are actually based on China’s excellent traditional culture. The combination of movies, our city's business cards, and local elements can allow intangible cultural heritage and movies to coexist and radiate new vitality.
Industry + Policy
“Sichuan Taste” goes from a hot hit to the norm
Dialects and intangible cultural heritage, these Sichuan elements frequently shine on the screen, and they rely not only on the inspiration of the creators. One after another "Made in Sichuan" movies have been released one after another, and behind them is a well-established industrial chain.
At the Tianfu Changdao Digital Cultural and Creative Park in the Chengdu High-tech Zone, everything from creative idea to finished film can be completed almost without leaving the park. Head animation companies are gathered here, and the upstream and downstream are right next door. Screenwriting, storyboarding, modeling, dubbing, and special effects can all be met within ten minutes or a cup of coffee. This industrial ecology has greatly shortened the cycle from idea to completion of an animated film.
Data shows that Chengdu High-tech Zone has gathered more than 6,000 digital cultural and creative-related companies, employing more than 120,000 people. In 2025, the total scale of the digital cultural and creative industry in the district will exceed 230 billion yuan.
Industrial supporting facilities are available, and policy support is also being provided simultaneously.
Wang Ying, deputy secretary-general of the Sichuan Provincial Filmmakers Association: In response to the pain points of difficulty in financing and starting for small, medium and micro enterprises and small and medium-sized works, Sichuan Province has launched policy subsidies and project solicitation plans to provide the first impetus for start-up entities. In terms of script incubation, Sichuan Province collects and incubates scripts from all over the country, especially works with distinctive Sichuan cultural elements, establishes a Sichuan film script library, promotes the connection between film scripts and the market, and holds regular script promotion meetings to help high-quality projects achieve market breakthroughs.
