Box office a hit in '17, taking in $8.5 billion

With blockbusters assembling for the New Year, China's box office total in 2017 soared to 55.9 billion yuan ($8.59 billion), up 13.45 percent year-on-year, according to data released on Sunday by the country's top movie regulator.

Figures from State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television also show that domestic productions earned 30.1 billion yuan, accounting for 53.84 percent of the total revenue.

With 9,597 new screens installed in 2017, China's giant screens now number 50,776, more than in any other country. Further, urban visits to theaters rose to 1.62 billion, up 18.08 percent from 1.372 billion in 2016.