Film adaptation of popular spy thriller joins China's summer box office lineup

The highly anticipated big screen adaptation of Mai Jia's popular spy thriller "Decoded" has set its release date for August 3, adding to China's summer box office craze.

The announcement, made via the film's official account on microblogging site Weibo on Wednesday, revealed a star-studded cast led by Liu Haoran, who portrays a cryptographer, and American actor John Cusack.

Based on a book of the same name by the renowned Chinese novelist, "Decoded" delves into the world of espionage and cryptography. The novel follows the journey of a mathematical genius recruited to work as a cryptographer. Praised for its exquisitely woven plot, the book has garnered widespread acclaim.

The film, directed by Chen Sicheng, was shot entirely using IMAX technology.

Joining a slew of new titles across various genres, "Decoded" is set to help make the June-August summer movie-going period – China's longest single screening slot – even more appealing to audiences.

Crime thrillers dominated last year's summer box office charts. "No More Bets" and "Lost in the Stars" each raked in over 3.5 billion yuan (US$491 million), contributing largely to the total box office sales of 20.62 billion yuan during the period.