Zhang Yimou, director. Photo provided to China Daily |
China forecast to lead film market by 2020 |
Hollywood optimistic over Chinese market |
Directors, including Zhang Yimou, are increasingly producing arthouse films. Zhang's romance "Coming Home" has pocketed more than 260 million yuan since it debuted on May 16.
The ballooning market, now the second largest in the world, was due largely to an increasing number of theaters and screens. As of April this year, there were 20,285 screens in the country, compared to 1,581 in 2002, according to Zhang. The number of theaters surged from 872 in 2002 to 4,545 in April.
The State Council, China's Cabinet, issued regulations in 2002 to promote development of the industry, making it more commercialized.
Private companies have led the way. Wanda Cinema Line with 1,292 screens made 3.16 billion yuan last year, ranking it first.
The Chinese film market will further expand as most screens are in big cities. The number of screens in counties accounted for only 30.2 percent. Analysts forecast a big increase in the number of screens in counties in the next few years.
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