China, Box Office | featured news

Hollywood blockbusters appeared poised last year to take over China’s box office, but something unexpected happened on the way to the bank: demand tapered off sharply.

China's Communist Party expects its new propaganda film will be a blockbuster. After all, it has left little to chance. The cast is loaded with stars. Cinemas are banned from showing new Hollywood movies. And offices and schools have been encouraged to snap up tickets.

Chinese box office takings surged 64 percent to $1.5 billion in 2010. 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."

The "Transformers" sequel has become China's biggest boxoffice hit ever by earning 400 million Chinese yuan ($59 million), a publicist for one of the country's two film importers said.