Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, says The Bravest has raised the bar for Chinese disaster films, signifying the domestic industry has improved in producing big action sequences.

Aside from Ne Zha and The Bravest, four other Chinese films-The White Storm 2: Drug Lords, Looking Up, Line Walker 2: Invisible Spy, and My Best Summer-have squeezed their way into the top 10 highest-grossing films of the summer, outnumbering foreign titles.

However, Hollywood is still the most powerful rival for domestic filmmakers.

Following Spider-Man: Far from Home, which grossed 1.41 billion yuan, making it the third highest-performing summer movie, Fast &Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is now the fifth highest-grossing flick and Disney's remake The Lion King sitting in the seventh place.

Japanese Oscar-winning animated classic Spirited Away, which grossed nearly 490 million yuan, is the only non-Hollywood film in the top 10.

"Summer vacation is one of the most lucrative box-office seasons in China. Unlike a few years ago when Hollywood imports were the most popular, domestic theatergoers now have diversifying tastes and have become more discerning," says Rao.

"This summer has been a good lesson for local filmmakers, giving hints about the direction they can shift focus and efforts to," he adds.