Insider: China to surpass US to be top film market in two years

A poster for the domestic movie Mojin - The Lost Legend. [Photo/Mtime]

Expended theaters and online booking service

The promising prospect of the film market is partially thanks to the constant investment in theaters and venues in the country. Up to 8,035 new screens were installed in 2015, pushing the total number of film screens to 31,627.

Another reason for the boost is the ease of online ticket booking and moviegoers’ changing buying habits. In 2015, online ticket sales exceeded offline for the first time in China, with the former accounting for more than 60 percent of annual movie revenue.

According to a report on the Chinese film industry released by Ali Picture's Taobao film (dianying.taobao.com) and H. Brothers Research (Huayi Bros. Media Group), the 100 movies that cooperated with Taobao online services in 2015 sold 23 billion yuan ($3.496 billion) in tickets, taking over 85% of the yearly box office number. During the seven-day National Day holiday last year, more than 70% of audiences bought their tickets through online booking apps or websites.

The report also suggests that people under 25 years old, or the so-called "post 90s" generation, become the main force of movie goers. During the New Year period, those young movie fans contribute to more than 70% of ticket sales, with comedies being the most popular genre.