Documentaries add sparkle to country's film industry, says report

With the unexpected success of Twenty Two, which topped the global documentary box-office charts in 2017, Chinese producers who make such films are on a roll, says a report recently released by Beijing Normal University.

The report shows that 16 documentaries were screened in Chinese theaters in 2017, grossing 269 million yuan ($ 43 million), a year-on-year revenue growth of 237 percent.

Twenty Two, a film about sexual slavery during World War II, made a record 170 million yuan, making it the first documentary in Chinese cinematic history to surpass the 100-million-yuan mark.