China-made big screens planned for 100 cinemas

BEIJING - A total of 100 Chinese cinemas will be equipped with "DMAX" large screens made with Chinese independent technology in three years, according to the China Film Co Ltd, one of the screen's developers.

The plan, which was announced on Wednesday when the China Film Stellar Theater Chain signed an agreement to purchase 18 of the screens, underlines the country's ambition to break the IMAX dominance of the booming domestic film market.

IMAX is currently the most widely used big screen motion picture format and was created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. China has nearly 60 IMAX screens, each with a size of at least 22 by 16 meters.

DMAX, with a standard screen of 20 by 12 meters, was jointly developed by the China Research Institute of Film Science & Technology and China Film Co Ltd. Before Wednesday's agreement, 15 such screens have been sold for commercial operations.

According to the company, a series of Chinese-language films will be screened this summer in DMAX format, including period fantasy epic "Painted Skin: The Resurrection" and veteran director Chen Kaige's latest feature "Caught in the Web," both of which debuted select scenes at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Meanwhile, DMAX versions of Hollywood blockbusters such as "Battleship" and "This Means War" have also been produced, the company said.

A growing number of overseas filmmakers and groups are aiming for a share of China's booming film market. The country's box office soared by 28.93 percent to reach 13.12 billion yuan ($2.08 billion) in 2011.