China's box office hit record in 1st half

The nation's first-half box office revenue hit a record 11 billion yuan ($1.8 billion), a year-on-year increase of 36 percent, according to a posting from China Film News on Sina Weibo, a micro-blogging service.

Domestic films, which raked in 8.75 billion yuan, topped foreign productions, the first time in five years that domestic movies have made more than imported ones in the first half of the year.

The Chinese blockbusters include Stephen Chow's Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons; Finding Mr. Right; and actress Zhao Wei's directorial debut, To Our Youth That is Fading Away.

The top grossing imported film during the period was Iron Man 3, with ticket sales of 755 million yuan, the posting said.