MUMBAI: The Chinese film industry has experienced a period of rapid growth since the government began relaxing its regulations in 2001, with box office revenues tripling to $336 million in 2006 as more and more people go to the cinema. A new Research and Markets study forecast that by 2010 these revenues will exceed $720 million. The number of modern, or silver, screens will increase in line with the revenue growth – almost doubling from 2,940 in 2005 to 5000 in 2010.

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the Screen Digest report: Cinema and Home Entertainment in China to their offering.

The report brings together the respective expertise of both companies in market and consumer research to identify the underlying trends in China’s media economy since its entry into the World Trade Organisation.

The report profiles the cinema distribution and exhibition sectors, the film production industry, DVD and home entertainment sectors, regulatory development, overview of population and other factors, digital cinema development, consumer behaviour and attitudes into cinemas, ticket pricing, film preferences, film information sources, DVD buying behaviour, price sensitivity and much more. This study also includes a full series of market data and forecasts on the Chinese cinema and home entertainment sectors from 2000 to 2010.

The report includes a detailed analysis of the findings from a new study conducted by Nielsen NRG and AC Nielsen in China. The research was conducted online and focused on residents living in Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.

The first major obstacle mentioned in the report is that the Chinese government has only partially liberalised the market to allow foreign investment; a full relaxation of restrictions is going to be a crucial part of realising the potential of the market. Warner Bros International Cinemas invested heavily in China when it entered in 2003 only to pull out three years later having conceded the battle against the challenges of government control and investment regulations. However, on the flip side, the relaxation of restrictions has allowed the Chinese film production industry to experience a boom, and China is now the third-largest film producer in the world, after India and the USA.