‘Dear You’ Producer Lan Hongchun Releases U.S. Trailer Ahead of September Launch for China’s $300M Family Drama

China’s box-office breakout family drama “Dear You,” directed by Lan Hongchun, has unveiled a U.S. trailer ahead of its September release, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new trailer marks the movie’s push to reach audiences outside China after domestic momentum that has positioned it as one of the biggest films of 2026 in the Chinese market.

The Hollywood Reporter described “Dear You” as a “sleeper hit” that ultimately reached approximately $300 million worldwide. The report also said the film was produced for about $2 million and built its early audience through word-of-mouth rather than large-scale international marketing at the outset.

A key part of the film’s profile, as characterized by The Hollywood Reporter, is that it was made for a regional Chinese-language audience and features a cast that is largely described as comprised of unknowns. The studio-level challenge of launching a low-budget, non-mainstream language title has become a notable test case for how Chinese regional films can scale beyond their initial markets.

The Hollywood Reporter also reported that “Dear You” became the year’s third-biggest release in China, tying its U.S. trailer rollout to the timing of its broader international visibility. The sequence of domestic performance first, followed by an overseas marketing push, reflects a distribution strategy that depends on confirmed audience demand rather than a pre-committed promotional campaign.

While the trailer announcement establishes the start of the film’s U.S. promotion, the specific U.S. distribution partner and the exact theater or platform rollout plan were not provided in the information available for this report. As a result, the practical impact for U.S. viewers will depend on how and where the September release is ultimately scheduled.

For U.S. audiences, the release is likely to be evaluated on accessibility, including whether the film will be offered with subtitles or other viewing accommodations, given that the project is tied to a regional Chinese-language production. Such details often determine audience reach for non-English films, particularly for family-oriented dramas that rely on clear dialogue for cross-generational viewing.

The film’s trajectory also highlights a broader tension in the global film economy: which budgets can travel, and how quickly. “Dear You” began with a reported modest production cost and still translated into large-scale commercial results domestically, a pattern distributors often scrutinize when deciding whether to invest in translation, subtitling, marketing, and distribution costs for international audiences.

As September approaches, industry watchers will be looking for the match between the domestic track record described by The Hollywood Reporter and the practical logistics of the U.S. release. The U.S. trailer suggests that the marketing push is already underway, but the degree to which U.S. audiences will be able to find the film will depend on the final release footprint. The film’s performance abroad will also determine whether additional regional-language projects receive similar marketing follow-through after domestic success.