BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Some 600 films screened in China last year grossed 6.2 billion yuan (about 908 million U.S. dollars) at the box office, according to Chinese film authority here Friday.
It was a 42.9 percent increase from 2008, said Tong Gang, director of film bureau of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Home made films outperformed foreign ones for the seventh consecutive year, accounting for 56.6 percent of the overall revenue.
Twelve films made by Chinese filmmakers each raked in 100 million yuan , including the star-studded film, "The Founding of a Republic," which was made to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
The film, a huge domestic box office success, almost leveled with Hollywood blockbuster "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" which took 450 million yuan.
Due to increasing revenue in the past year, 626 new screens have gone up , bringing the total number to 4,723 nationwide. And, 142 new cinemas went into operation, Tong said.
The booming film market signaled a comeback of moviegoers to cinemas, which has encouraged distributors to open theaters in small towns, experts said.
In the 1990s when China's film industry was seriously challenged by a booming TV market, cinemas closed in many small cities and towns.
Chen Dunliang, general manager of Hubei film distribution company provincial distributor, told Xinhua earlier this month that the company opened its first cinema at county level in Danyang in December.
The company has moved into four medium cities in Hubei and is testing the market in small cities and towns as well . It planned to open five to six cinemas in county seats by 2015, he said.
Tong said, though the Chinese film industry was developing at a fast pace nationally , it still held little sway on the world stage and needed to enhance innovation to improve its global competitiveness.
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