"Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," a war comedy-drama from Dirty Monkeys, has topped mainland China's box office for a fourth straight weekend and passed $300 million in cumulative earnings. The film, directed by Wen Muye and starring Shen Teng, follows a debt-ridden Chinese chef in the Middle East whose restaurant becomes a refuge for civilians and orphans amid regional conflict, and its sustained run underlines the strength of homegrown productions in a Chinese market that is otherwise trailing last year's takings.

The film earned RMB82.6 million ($12.1 million) over the 4–6 September weekend, taking its total to $305.6 million since its 11 August release. It was followed by Pearl River Film Group's crime thriller "V" ($7.9 million weekend, $75.4 million cumulative), Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" ($5.5 million weekend, $97.4 million cumulative), animated feature "All Wishes Come True!" ($4.8 million weekend, $277.5 million cumulative) and newcomer "Fall 2: Deadpoint" ($3 million debut). Overall weekend takings reached $41.9 million, while China's 2026 year-to-date box office stands at $4.21 billion, down 27.8% on the same period last year.