China's box office up 13.6% in the first half of 2011

The figure also stands as the highest first-half of the year box office revenue in the past five years. In 2007, the first 6 months of the year generated $185m (RMB1.2bn).

Kung Fu Panda 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Fast Five and local blockbuster Beginning of the Great Revival contributed the most box-office takings during the six months, with Panda and Pirates both creating new box-office records in China. Panda’s $90.42m (RMB585m) gross up until June 30, has made it the second highest-grossing foreign film in the Chinese film history, second to the record of Avatar, while Pirates’ $71.46m (RMB462.35m) gross also surpassed the record of Inception and became the fourth biggest foreign film, behind Avatar, Panda and 2012.

Beijing-based cinema managers generally believed that imported films generally out-performed domestic films during the first two quarters. Among the 18 films that broke the RMB100m ($15.45m) mark, 10 are foreign films.

Box office takings in January and February were slightly lower than those in January and February in 2010. In March and April, the revenue plummeted even more with the two-month total dropped to $154.56m (RMB1bn), 20% down from the figure of the same period last year.

The market bounced back in May with the release of many Hollywood blockbusters such as Thor, Fast Five, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Kung Fu Panda 2. In June, the release of historical propaganda Beginning of the Great Revival boosted the market even more.

The number of release is higher than previous years. There are 103 releases in the first six months of 2011, with 74 local films (including 14 co-produced films) and 29 imported films.

The continued increase of new cinemas and new screens also contributed to the overall growth in the first half of 2011.

Up until the end of June, there are a total of 7,300 screens in China, which means there are 1,100 news screens added in the past six months. According to managers of Beijing’s Wanda Cinema Line and UME International Cinema, the revenue of each cinema have all dropped a few percentages in 2011. However, the total box office revenue has still grown for 13.6%. “This is because the new cinemas has helped raised the overall movie-going attendance and consequently contributed to the total revenue,” said a manager of Beijing’s UME International Cinema.

With the revenue of the first six months reaching $850m, the industry predicts that the total 2011 revenue will reach $2bn (RMB12.9bn).

Gao Jun, manager of Beijing New Film Association says in the past three years, the box office revenue of the second half of the year usually account for 60% of the annual box office total. With the upcoming release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, X-Men: The First Class, The Smurfs and Zhang Yimou’s The 13 Women of Nanjing, Gao predicts these blockbusters will continue to set new box records and help the 2011 total to reach $2bn.

Top 10 Films in China (Jan 1 to June 30, 2011)
1. Kung Fu Panda 2 - $90.42m (RMB585m)*
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - $71.46m (RMB462.35m)*
3. Beginning of the Great Revival - $39.41m (RMB255m)*
4. Fast Five - $39.56m (RMB255.95m)
5. Battle Los Angeles - $34.61m (RMB223.95m)
6. Shaolin - $32.21m (RMB208.4m)
7. Eternal Moment $31.34m (RMB202.8m)
8. Let the Bullets Fly - $30.9m (RMB199.96m)**
9. My Own Swordsman - $28.3m (RMB183.1m)
10. If You Are the One 2 - $27.74m (RMB179.5m)**

* Still on release, up until June 30, 2011
** Released in 2010, continued from Jan 1, 2011
Source: SARFT and Screen International