Chinese cinema experienced its biggest box-office slump in five years during the third quarter of 2016.
An absence of blockbuster releases during the three summer months to September 30, and fewer ticket offers, meant revenue was down 16% year-on-year.
The number of filmgoers buying tickets also dropped about 12%, heading for the first decline since at least 2011, figures from the government’s China Movie Data Information Network showed.
The slump in ticket sales contrasted with the almost 50% jump in 2015, a surge that had Hollywood filmmakers targeting Chinese audiences and helping billionaire Wang Jianlin expand Dalian Wanda Group Co.’s entertainment empire.
The adventure film ‘Time Raiders’ was the only title drawing at least $150m (£116.0m/€133.5m) sales in the third quarter, compared with three reaching that milestone a year earlier.
Sales have also been hurt by a decline in the number of discounts offered by mobile ticketing apps backed by digital companies including Alibaba Group and Baidu.
“The market is maturing, with Chinese consumers now becoming more discerning in their movie choices since the novelty of the new cinema environment finally wearing off to some extent,” David Hancock, analyst at IHS Markit, told Bloomberg.
Share this