Chengdu film week showcases China's online movies
Turning from quantity to quality
The idea of "online movies", widely referring to those screened on the internet instead of cinemas, first emerged in China in 2014.
Broadcasted on China's Netflix-like service iQiyi, Tencent Video and Alibaba's Youku, such movies became popular among young people in a short time span, especially those in third- and fourth-tier cities where access to theaters is not as easily won as in big cities.
Because of the large potential market, relative ease of distribution and short production cycle, both professional and amateur filmmakers vied with one another to tap into the new industry since its advent five years ago.
Statistics show the number of online movies grew from 450 in 2014 to nearly 1,900 in 2017, and the market size rose from 2014's 100 million yuan ($14 million) to 2 billion yuan ($280 million) in 2017.
