Septembers often record a notable decrease in visits to the cinema, with moviegoers having had their fill of summer hits.

This September however could see cinemas across the Chinese mainland hold their pull, as filmmakers look to make a splash at the box office with productions coinciding with both Mid-Autumn Festival and the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The ten films below, ranging from animation and sci-fi, to romance, crime, and fantasy, are either highly anticipated or already achieving word-of-mouth buzz based on test screenings.

Check them out to see which is the one for you.

The Legend of Hei

Genre: animation, adventure

Release date: available in theaters now

Douban rating: 8.9

IMDb rating: 7.0

As a feature spinoff from the 27-episode Chinese hit web series, the film focuses on the titular role Luo Xiaohei, a spirit-turned-black kitten, who embarks on a journey to seek a sense of belonging after its homeland was destroyed.

Free Solo

Release date: available in theaters now

Genre: documentary, sport

Douban rating: 9.0

IMDb rating: 8.2

The 2019 Oscar-winning documentary profiles American rock climber Alex Honnold's efforts to perform a groundbreaking un-roped climb of El Captain's 900-meter vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park in California.

Killing for the Prosecution

Release date: available in theaters now

Genre: crime, suspense

Douban rating: 7.0

IMDb rating: 6.4

Adapted from Shusuke Shizukui's eponymous bestseller, the drama tells of a showdown between two prosecutors played by superstars Takuya Kimura and Kazunari Ninomiya, as they try to find out the perpetrator of a murder in Tokyo.

Jade Dynasty

Release date: Sept 13

Genre: fantasy, action

The 2019 remake of Chinese novelist Xiao Ding's eponymous epic fantasy is currently the most anticipated film on Maoyao, a Chinese box office tracker. The film follows Zhang Xioafan, a good-natured village boy who is thrown into a world of chaos after his village is slaughtered and then becomes a disciple of the Qingyun Sect.

The Last Wish

Release date: Sept 12

Genre: dark comedy

The dark comedy follows high school student Gao Yuan, played by Peng Yuchang, who after being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, is helped by his two friends to realize his last wish – to be a real man – before he dies.

Detective Conan: The Fist of Blue Sapphire

Release date: Sept 13

Genre: animation, adventure

Douban rating: 6.5

IMDb rating: 6.8

As the 23rd installment in the Detective Conan franchise, the new action-packed adventure will take the series favorites for the first time out of Japan to Singapore to solve a murder case revolving around a large gem, the Blue Sapphire.

Friend Zone

Release date: Sept 20

Genre: romance, comedy

Douban rating: 6.9

IMDb rating: 7.5

Starring Pimchanok Leuwisetpaibul, star of the 2010 sleeper hit Crazy Little Thing Called Love, the film deals with a weird-but-relatable relationship – the friend zone, where the fun and joy of a close friendship mixes with the frustration of unrequited love.

The Climbers

Release date: Sept 30

Genre: adventure, drama

Featuring an all-star cast including blockbuster action hero Wu Jing and veteran actress Zhang Ziyi, the film tells how the China Everest Climbing Commando achieved the first historic ascent of Mount Quomolangma, known as Mount Everest in the West, by conquering the North Ridge in May 1960.

The Chinese Pilot

Release date: Sept 30

Genre: biography, drama

The film, a cinematic rendition of one of the most dramatic emergency landings in Chinese aviation history in Southwest China's Sichuan province in May 2018, ranks as the second-most anticipated film of the month on Maoyan.

Me and My Motherland

Release date: Sept 30

Genre: drama

Helmed by veteran director Chen Kaige and supported by six other famed directors, the seven-part anthology focuses on national memories and presents Chinese people's stories that took place during seven monumental moments in the past seventy years.

Yang Xiaoyu contributed to this story.