Cinema's growth reflects cultural self-confidence, official says

China's booming film industry is a reflection of the country's growing cultural self-confidence, said Zhang Hongsen, deputy director of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television, at a news conference during the 19th CPC National Congress.

According to Zhang, total box-office revenue in 2016 was 49.2 billion yuan ($7.43 billion), a huge increase from 17 billion in 2012. Box office revenue in 2017 has already reached last year's figures.

Films attracted more than 1.3 billion viewers into China's cinemas in 2016. In comparison, the number in 2012 was less than 500 million.

He added that there had been about 49,000 silver screens nationwide by the end of 2016, nearly four fold the number for 2012. The number of production and investment companies in China's film industry in 2012 was around 500 and it has now rocketed to more than 2,000.

"China has become the world's second-largest film market, with own national characteristics," Zhang said.

For example, 48 percent of box office revenue in China was accounted for by domestic films in 2012 but the proportion was 62 percent in 2015 and 58 percent in 2016.

This year, domestic productionWolf Warriors 2earned 5.6 billion yuan at the box office to become the single highest-grossing film in the history of Chinese cinema.

Zhang attributed the fast-growing scenario to more creativity in the industry. He said that more than 60 percent of the film market is contributed to by a young generation of film makers.

"We have more and more genres, and topics of films and more abundant talent-training models," he said. "We will continue to promote a high grade in films, caring more for realistic topics, our society, and people, and boycott vulgar trends."

He also praised Chinese filmmakers' open minds to have more cooperation with overseas counterparts. China has signed official intergovernmental film coproduction agreements with about 20 countries, thus nurturing a series of influential works of high quality.