China's box office hits monthly record

Chinese cinemas' box office hit a record high of 5.49 billion yuan (897.5 million U.S. dollars) in July, showed new data from the country's entertainment authority.

An office in charge of film funds under the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) said on Saturday that a total of 159 million people went to cinemas last month and box office revenue this year has totalled 25.85 billion yuan.

The office said the new monthly record owes much the success of Chinese films, which raked in more than 5.2 billion yuan, about 95.6 percent of the overall figure.

The three biggest earners -- live-action animation "Monster Hunt", animated feature "Monkey King: Hero is Back", and comedy "Jian Bing Man" -- took up more than 60 percent of the ticket sales.

The SAPPRFT last week announced that "Monster Hunt" has overtaken 2012 low-budget comedy "Lost in Thailand" to become the most successful domestic film of all time in box office income.

According to a U.S. box office count, "Monster Hunt" has also outperformed Hollywood productions "Minions" and "Ant-Man" in total box office gains.

It is estimated that the film earnings in China last month exceeded the yearly numbers from 2002 to 2005 combined.