OLYMPICS/ Culture
Box office revenues soar
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-08-24 09:24
China's cinemas are expected to rake in 3 billion yuan ($400 million) in box office revenue this year, as more theaters open and more homemade movies compete with imported blockbusters.
Cinema box offices took in 1.2 billion yuan in first half of the year, but the peak seasons are yet to be included, local media reported yesterday. The industry took in 2 billion yuan in 2005 and 2.6 billion yuan in 2006.
More than 100 new cinemas with 700-plus screens have opened this year, to cater to the growing number of urban Chinese, the Beijing News said.
Also, several domestic movies have become box office hits, including Curse of the Golden Flower by Zhang Yimou, Confession of Pain starring Xu jinglei and Protege, which totally earned about 400 million yuan at the box office.
At the same time, foreign blockbusters like Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix also proved big hits with local film fans, each taking in more than 100 million yuan.
Next month, Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, and Jiang Wen's The Sun Also Rises - both nominated for the Golden Lion Award at this year's Venice Film Festival - are expected to attract big audiences.
Feng Xiaogang's Assembly and Hong Kong director Peter Chan's The Warlords will be the likely chart-toppers in December.
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