'Sunshine Girls Choir' and 'Shuang Xi' Lose! Taiwan's Favorite Local Films TOP 10 Revealed: Netizens Praise as the Pinnacle of Recent Taiwanese Cinema

In Taiwan, watching Mandarin-language films has become a lifestyle for many audiences. Whether it's comedies that make people laugh uncontrollably or tear-jerking love and family stories, these films consistently draw large crowds into cinemas. In recent years, competition in Taiwan's Mandarin film market has intensified, with directors and production teams releasing diverse themes—from historical dramas and family stories to gangster tales and folk horror—aiming to stand out.

According to a survey by KEYPO Big Data, the current ranking of Mandarin film popularity was determined by analyzing data from news websites, forums, and social media between June 22 and July 21, 2026. 'Da Meng' topped the list with 6,759 mentions, followed by 'Sunshine Girls Choir' with 5,579 mentions, and 'Shuang Xi' with 4,856 mentions.

10th Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: Ko Chen-tung and Chu Hsuan-yang in 'Kung Fu,' Social Buzz: 881 mentions

'Kung Fu' is adapted from Giddens Ko's 'Urban Horror Disease' series of the same name. Ko Chen-tung plays Yuan Zai, a high school student, and Chu Hsuan-yang plays his friend Ah Yi. The two accidentally meet Huang Jun, a homeless man who claims to have slept for 500 years and possesses extraordinary martial arts skills. Initially dismissing him as a weirdo, they decide to become his disciples after witnessing his astonishing abilities.

As Bing Wang's character, classmate Yi Jing, joins them, the trio gradually uncovers Huang Jun's centuries-old feud with his junior brother Lan Jin, and discovers a secret behind this martial arts legend that could alter everyone's fate. The film premiered in Taiwan on February 13, 2026, blending youth, martial arts, fantasy, and heroic adventure elements.

9th Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: Fan Shao-hsun and Tseng Ching-hua in 'Paradise Lost,' Social Buzz: 1,056 mentions

'Paradise Lost' centers on child welfare institutions, foster children, and frontline social workers. Fan Shao-hsun plays Tsai Jen-hsing, an idealistic social worker trying to support children in an orphanage, but constrained by manpower shortages, institutional limitations, and real-world pressures.

Tseng Ching-hua plays a character who lived in the institution and, after turning 18 and leaving without family support, faces economic and debt pressures. Introduced by a friend, he gradually gets involved in an overseas phone scam operation. The story also unfolds from the perspective of Hsiao Chih, a boy abandoned by his mother and bullied in the orphanage, and a suspicious dog-killing incident.

The film portrays how children are labeled during their growth and how frontline workers struggle with systemic barriers and feelings of helplessness when trying to support them.

8th Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: Wang Shih-hsien and Cheng Jen-shuo in 'The Gangster's Paradise' series, Social Buzz: 1,660 mentions

'The Gangster's Paradise' series is set against the backdrop of Taiwan's local gang culture, weaving together feuds among factions like Pei Kuan, Pei Cheng, Ting Chuang, and Ta Chiao T'ou. Wang Shih-hsien's character Jen Ge and Cheng Jen-shuo's Ah Ching are key figures in the Pei Kuan faction, repeatedly making critical choices amid territorial disputes,利益 conflicts, and brotherhood.

The series fills in the rise and fall of various factions across different timelines, depicting gang members' struggles with loyalty, love, family, and survival pressure. Each installment can stand alone while gradually piecing together a more complete gang world.

The 'Gangster's Paradise' series has accumulated a loyal audience over the years. Fans love not only the conflicts between gangs but also the brotherhood, family bonds, and gang codes behind the characters. Many say the series stands out because characters have clear stances and emotions, making audiences care about their fates despite knowing they walk dangerous paths.

7th Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: Tsai Shu-chun, Ma Szu-yuan, and Yeh Tzu-chi in 'Left-Handed Girl,' Social Buzz: 1,758 mentions

'Left-Handed Girl' follows Tsai Shu-chun's character, Shu-fen, a single mother who leaves her hometown with her two daughters, Yi-an and Yi-ching, to run a stall in a Taipei night market. Ma Szu-yuan plays the older sister Yi-an, and Yeh Tzu-chi plays the younger sister Yi-ching.

The mother and daughters try to adapt to busy city life, but five-year-old Yi-ching is scolded by her traditional grandfather for using her left hand and is forced to switch to her right. This seemingly ordinary family conflict gradually uncovers long-suppressed family secrets and forces three generations of women to confront unspoken pain.

The film starts from everyday life, depicting clashes between family relationships, women's situations, and generational values, and reflects how traditional discipline is passed down through families via Yi-ching's experience of being forbidden to use her left hand.

Many viewers appreciate 'Left-Handed Girl's' natural and refreshing storytelling, praising how it starts from a small incident—correcting a left-handed child—and gradually reveals intergenerational family trauma with delicate, non-forced emotional handling. The child actors' performances are widely praised, and the depiction of Taipei night markets and everyday life adds a distinct Taiwanese flavor to the story.

6th Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: Van Fan and Tien Niu in 'Cape No. 7,' Social Buzz: 1,847 mentions

'Cape No. 7' follows Ah Jia, a disillusioned band singer who returns to Hengchun after failing in Taipei, accidentally becoming a substitute mail carrier and receiving a batch of undeliverable love letters written in Japanese.

Meanwhile, Japanese event PR officer Yoko is tasked with organizing a beach concert and must lead Ah Jia and a group of locals with diverse backgrounds to form a band. As they rehearse, their relationship evolves from conflict to understanding, while seven love letters spanning 60 years gradually connect two love stories from different eras.

Revisiting 'Cape No. 7' years later, many are still moved by its characters and emotions. Viewers call it a warm story for ordinary people—each character may seem insignificant, but together they possess irreplaceable vitality. The line 'Stay, or I'll go with you' remains one of the most memorable quotes, keeping this cross-national, cross-generational love story alive in audiences' hearts.

5th Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: 'Magical Grandma,' Social Buzz: 2,840 mentions

'Magical Grandma' follows five-year-old Dou Dou, who is sent to live with his grandmother in Keelung after his father's car accident and his mother's need to care for him. The mischievous Dou Dou dislikes his grandmother's lifestyle and resists her methods of dealing with ghosts and folk rituals.

Dou Dou later breaks into a storage room forbidden by his grandmother and shatters a jar sealed with talismans, causing an evil spirit to possess a black cat named Ku Luo. As the evil force grows stronger and strange events occur, the initially incompatible grandmother and grandson must team up to resolve the crisis and, in the process, come to understand each other anew.

The film blends Taiwanese folk beliefs, ghost legends, and the emotional bond between grandmother and grandson, becoming a shared childhood memory for many Taiwanese viewers.

Many viewers find 'Magical Grandma' most captivating for naturally integrating Taiwanese folklore, ghostly imagination, and family affection into one story. It has adventures and humor children can understand, as well as Dou Dou's loneliness after being separated from his parents. Many only realize upon rewatching as adults that Grandma's seemingly strict actions are all rooted in deep love for her grandson.

4th Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: Summer Meng and Joanne Tseng in 'Zong Xie,' Social Buzz: 3,441 mentions

'Zong Xie' draws from the 'Sending the Meat Dumpling' folk ritual in Taiwan's central coastal areas. Joanne Tseng's character Chia-wei works at a TV station and secretly films strange customs with friends to raise funds for his wedding to Shu-yi.

Upon learning a ritual will be held in Changhua, he brings his camera to document it, but violates taboos during filming, causing a series of strange events to haunt Chia-wei and Shu-yi, forcing them to confront long-buried fears.

'Zong Xie' brings Taiwan's 'Sending the Meat Dumpling' custom to the big screen, and the folk theme alone feels fresh to many viewers. Some believe the film's depiction of rituals, taboos, and local atmosphere successfully enhances horror more than sudden jump scares. The cinematography and dark atmosphere are also praised, adding an inescapable sense of oppression to familiar rural Taiwanese landscapes.

3rd Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: Greg Hsu and Catherine Yeo in 'Shuang Xi,' Social Buzz: 4,856 mentions

'Shuang Xi' follows Greg Hsu's character Kao Ting-sheng and Catherine Yeo's Hong Kong girl Wu Dai-ling as they prepare to marry, but Ting-sheng's divorced parents, long estranged, both insist on hosting their son's wedding ceremony.

To avoid conflict between the parents, Ting-sheng and Dai-ling, along with her father, a wedding planner, and a best man, organize two wedding banquets in the same hotel with a 30-minute time difference. As guest routes and wedding procedures spiral out of control, this absurd mission forces the couple to reevaluate the meaning of marriage and family.

Many viewers resonated with the family dynamics in 'Shuang Xi.' On the surface, it's a chaotic wedding farce, but beneath lies the pain left by parental divorce and the emotional burden children carry into adulthood. Some say the film has humor, tears, and room for reflection; even if some scenes are exaggerated, the emotional tension between actors pulls viewers into the story.

2nd Most-Watched Mandarin Film in Taiwan: Gwei Lun-mei and翁倩玉 in 'Sunshine Girls Choir,' Social Buzz: 5,579 mentions

'Sunshine Girls Choir' follows Gwei Lun-mei's character Hui-chen, who suffers long-term domestic violence from her husband, accidentally kills him, and is imprisoned, giving birth to her daughter Yun-hsi during her sentence.