Number of cinema screens in China 2009-2021
Accelerating growth of cinemas in China
The number of cinema screens in China has increased almost 20 fold since 2007. The rise of 3D film showings had also been paralleled by an increase in the number of digital 3D cinema screens, which had risen from 1,297 screens in 2007 to 122,180 screens in 2020, worldwide. Reflecting the increase in cinema screens, the number of movie tickets sold in China had surpassed the one billion mark in 2015, and had been expanding since then apart from 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of coronavirus pandemic. The increase of disposable income among Chinese citizens has also encouraged box office sales.
Hollywood faces hardship
Second after the United States, China is the largest movie market in the world and has been largely influenced by Hollywood productions. Movies such as Titanic and Transformers have been considered to contribute some new elements in the current movie culture in China which eventuelly attracts more new moviegoers. The film, Avengers: End Game had been one of the most successful movies in China of all time and had generated 4.25 billion yuan. In recent few years, there had been fewer foreign movies but more Chinese comedy and action films making into the annual highest-grossing chart. This implies a preference change among the Chinese cinema audience from overseas blockbusters, as well as famliy and romance-related content. It is worth noting that Chinese authorities still have a large influence on which films are released in the country and are rated by the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television.