Chinese box office takings surged 64 percent to 10.2 billion Chinese yuan ($1.5 billion) in 2010, although film officials say the figure still lags more developed markets and urged local filmmakers to make better movies that can compete with Hollywood blockbusters like "Avatar" and "Inception."
China's Film Bureau also said in a report issued late last week that the country added 313 movie theaters and 1,533 new screens last year, for a total of just over 6,200 screens.
The box office figures were boosted by the huge success of "Avatar." The James Cameron 3-D sci-fi epic was the biggest hit in China last year with a total take of $204 million. The top-grossing Chinese film in 2010 was the Feng Xiaogang summer earthquake epic "Aftershock," which earned $100 million. Jiang Wen's political satire "Let the Bullets Fly," released in December, was also a big local hit, with Chinese media saying its latest earnings have surpassed $75 million.
The Film Bureau, however, said the Chinese box office is still developing and urged local directors to improve the quality of their work.
Read more: 2010 Chinese box office surges to $1.5 billion
