Cinemas enjoy strong first half

China's film industry continued to prosper during the first half of the year, driven by a continued expansion in the number of cinemas and the growing popularity of going out to watch a movie.

Another 600 theaters and 2,449 screens were added nationwide during the period, according to new statistics from EntGroup Consulting, the Beijing-based entertainment industry consultancy.

Wanda Cinema Line Corp, the country's largest cinema chain in terms of box office revenue, raked in 3.49 billion yuan ($545.4 million), a 40.82 percent increase on the previous year. That delivered a net profit of 629 million yuan, a 50.43 percent year-on-year rise.