China's growing presence in Hollywood film market

What attracts Hollywood? 

It is undeniable that major Hollywood production companies are now eyeing the opportunities offered in China for cooperation, thanks to a varied pool of investors and a dynamic domestic film market.

China has one of the fastest growing film markets in the world. Box office revenue last year was 44 billion yuan (around $6.7 billion), up 48.7 percent over 2014, while 1.26 billion people went to the cinema last year, a year-on-year increase of 51.08 percent.

It is expected to overtake the United States to become the world's largest film market in 2017.

A total of 8,035 movie screens were installed in China last year alone at a rate of 22 screens every day. Its screen count currently sits at 31,627.

"This means that China's ticket sales are too big for major Hollywood studios to ignore," said Zhang Huiyu, associate researcher with the Chinese National Academy of Arts.