Box office a hit in ’17, taking in $8.5 billion

With blockbusters assembling for the New Year, China’s box office total in 2017 soared to 55.9 billion yuan ($8.59 billion), up 13.45 percent yearon-year, according to data released on Sunday by the country’s top movie regulator.

Figures from State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television also show that domestic productions earned 30.1 billion yuan, accounting for 53.84 percent of the total revenue.

With 9,597 new screens installed in 2017, China’s giant screens now number 50,776, more than in any other country. Further, urban visits to theaters rose to 1.62 billion, up 18.08 percent from 1.372 billion in 2016.

Up to 92 movies surpassed the bench mark box office of 100 million yuan, including 51 domestic titles. The numbers in 2016 were 78 movies overall and 39 domestic titles.

Boosted by Wu Jing’s Wolf Warrior 2 and Zhang Yimou’s The Great Wall, Chinese movies’ overseas sales scored 4.253 billion yuan, up 11.19 percent from 3.825 billion yuan in 2016.

For most industry watchers, Wolf Warrior 2, China’s highest-grossing film ever, made a great contribution to this year’s box office bonanza.

The action-studded movie revolves around a former China Special Force member facing off against Western mercenaries. It brought in 5.7 billion yuan, more than twice the No 2 taker, The Fate of the Furious 8, which earned 2.7 billion yuan.

Comedy, a lucrative genre that appeals to Chinese audiences, again proved its charm. Never Say Die, a low-budget comedy drama about genderexchange, took No 3 in box office sales with 2.2 billion yuan, beating Jackie Chan’s Kung Fu Yoga, at No 4 with 1.75 billion yuan.

Hark Tsui’s fantasy epic Journey to the West: Demon Chapter took No 5 at 1.66 billion yuan, leaving four of the top five box office earners made by Chinese filmmakers.

Last year also surprised Hollywood, with seven US films earning more in China than they did in the US.