Chinese films overtake Hollywood at the box office in the first half

Slick big-budget Chinese films and perfectly timed releases drew audiences to the cinemas in droves during the first half of the year.

Domestic films accounted for 60 per cent or 19 billion yuan (US$2.85 billion) of the 32 billion yuan box office revenue in the first six months of the year, according to figures from Ent Group, which compiles industry data.

During the same period last year, foreign films accounted for around 61 per cent of China’s box office or 16.7 billion yuan, compared to around 13 billion yuan this year.

Chinese films’ ticket sales also jumped 80 per cent year on year in the first half of 2018.