Chinese cinemas enjoy year of foreign, domestic hits

While it has allowed more foreign films to be shown, the government is keen for homegrown movies to not be drowned out.

Chinese films account for nearly 60 percent of this year's ticket sales despite fierce competition from the likes of "Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation" and James Bond outing "Spectre."

In September, with sales exceeding 2.429 billion yuan, China-made live-action animation "Monster Hunt" surpassed "Furious 7" to become the the highest-grossing film in Chinese movie history.

Other domestic blockbusters including 3D animation "Monkey King: Hero is Back" and 3D action-thriller "Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe" have also won applause for their visual effects.

They have created confidence in the progress of the Chinese film industry, although insiders admit that it still lags behind Hollywood in both production standards and marketing.

Perhaps the answer is to blood more young talent from outside of the establishment. This year has seen a number of successes from inexperienced directors.

Comedy "Jian Bing Man," the first work of TV host-turned-director Dong Chengpeng, and romance "Tiny Times 4," by writer Guo Jingming, have reaped billions of yuan, outperforming films by some industry stalwarts.

"Films by iconic Chinese figures Chen Kaige and John Woo are still of high quality, but they might not fit the taste of the younger generation," said Rao Shuguang, secretary of the China Film Association.