Promotional material for The House that Never Dies Photo: IC

Promotional material for American Hustle Photo: IC

Promotional material for Old Boys Photo: IC

Promotional material for Girls Photo: IC

While Transformers: Age of Extinction, which premiered on Friday, is sure to continue dominating Chinese mainland theaters through the beginning of July, two domestic films - Guo Jingming's Tiny Times 3.0 and Han Han's Continent - are set to capture the attentions of audiences throughout the country by the middle of the month.

Meanwhile, horror flicks and animated films are also two forces that can not be ignored this summer.

By comparison, imported movies for the coming month seem a little bit underpowered as less than five films are scheduled for release so far.

Chinese spotlight

In 2013, Tiny Times and Tiny Times 2 brought writer turned director Guo Jingming more than 700 million yuan ($112 million) in box-office income. Quickly following in the footsteps of the first two movies, Tiny Times 3.0 is set to reach the big screen on July 17.

Bringing back the same leading actors and actresses, Tiny Times 3.0 continues the story of four young women - Lin Xiao (Yang Mi), Gu Li (Amber Kuo), Nan Xiang (Guo Biting) and Tang Wanru (Sie Yi-Lin) - whose friendship and dreams are challenged as they say farewell to campus life and gradually become a part of society.

Widely labeled as movies specifically tailored for Guo's fans, debate over whether the Tiny Times franchise is actually any good has never ceased. Considering the second film didn't make as big a splash as the first one, it remains to be seen how well the newest entry in the franchise will perform considering it's been only a year since the last one hit theaters.

Moving on to another author turned director, ever since novelist Han Han announced he was going to try his hand at directing, an enormous amount of attention has been focused on Continent. Scheduled for July 24, the film's story takes place on a series of eastern China islands known as the Dongji Islands and focuses on a group of young people setting out on a journey to find a new life.

Considering both Guo and Han got their start in writing competitions as teenagers and later became popular Young Adult novelists, people can't help but constantly compare the two, as well as their works, with each other. Now, with both authors directing films released so close to each other, it's unavoidable that a new round of discussion will explode across the Internet.

Moviegoers who aren't fans of either Guo or Han but are looking for a relaxing way to spend a summer day may find Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon and Girls more to their liking.

Telling the story of two middle-aged small potatoes who come together to achieve their boyhood dreams, four years ago, the online short Old Boys kicked off a trend for stories of people trying to recall the bygone days of youth. Now, this short is getting a sequel for the big screen - Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon.

Still chasing their dreams, the two old buddies from the first film, Wang Xiaoshuai (Wang Taili) and Xiao Dabao (Xiao Yang), head to New York for a talent show where they run into one amusing situation after another after getting themselves involved in a gang war.

While the boys chase their dreams overseas, in coming chick flick Girls takes friendship and romance as its subject as it explores the lives of three young women Kimmy (Fiona Sit), Xi Wen (Ivy Chen) and Xiao Mei (Yang Zishan) and their different attitudes towards friends and lovers. 

Haunted houses

Although often looked down upon for not living up to their foreign contemporaries, domestic made horror films continue to spring up from time to time attracting moviegoers looking for a fright.

Compared to other films in this genre, two films, this month's Bunshinsaba 3 and The House that Never Dies, are highly anticipated due to the strength of their directors.

Bunshinsaba 3, remains under the skillful guidance of South Korean director Ahn Byeong-ki, the director of the original Korean film and the previous two Chinese films in the franchise. A director and producer for various horror movies in South Korea, such as Phone (2002) and Forbidden Floor (2006), Ahn has begun using his talents to make horror stories for the Chinese market.

With the previous two Bunshinsaba films earning around a total of 150 million yuan ($24 million) at the box office, a relatively good outcome for two mid-budget horror flicks in China, the Bunshinsaba has firmly established itself as a successful brand in the horror genre. The third installment, which is about mysterious happenings in an old house, is therefore expected to perform even better.

Continuing on with the theme of old haunted houses is the horror film The House that Never Dies. What sets this film apart is that it is set in the long rumored to be haunted real life mansion located on Chaoyangmen Inner Street No. 81 in Beijing. 

Despite the generally low opinion many have towards domestic made horror movies, the long-existing rumors and stories about the real life house, together with a starlit cast, which includes famous Hong Kong actor Francis Ng and Taiwan actress Ruby Lin, is sure to help get a few extra butts into theater seats.    

Animation and imports

With seven films set for this month, animation is no doubt a major force in theaters.

Three of them are sequels of early works, Seer V, Roco Kingdom 3 and Happy Heroes 2, which pretty much arrive with a built-in young audience due to years of brand influence.

Not everything is a sequel, however. The Magical Brush, a new film based on a well-known children's story in China, tells the tale of a boy who comes into possession of a magic brush that turns anything it draws real.

Dragon Nest: Warriors' Dawn is a great choice for fans of the popular MMORPG, Dragon Nest, on which the film is based, while The Firefox of Bunnington Burrows is a feature film version of the popular animated TV series.

Few Hollywood blockbusters can be found in theaters this July; so far US crime comedy drama American Hustle may be the only imported film of note that has grabbed the attention of Chinese audiences.

Gathering Christian "Batman" Bale, Amy "Superman's girlfriend" Adams, and Jennifer "Mystique" Lawrence, American Hustle's star-studded cast ensures that audiences are sure to get their money's worth.

Directed by Oscar nominated director David O. Russell, American Hustle is loosely based on FBI sting operations during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Receiving numerous Oscar nominations, the film's 7.4/10 on IMDB shows that the film is certain to be a movie worth watching.