Recent statistics reveal that the audience Chinese film attracts is slowly deteriorating. Many analysts attributed this slow drop in cinema revenue to the subpar quality of domestic movies that are being produced in mainland China.
Chinese movie fans spent a total of $7 billion on cinema tickets in 2015. While the number of cinema screens continues to grow by more than 20 openings each day, the box office record has headed in the opposite direction in that past two months.
Latest statistics suggest that April 2016 box office revenue fell by 24 percent compared to the same period last year. Revenue in the month of May, compared to last year, appears to be facing a downward slope as well.
Analysts have attributed this steady decrease in viewers to the poor quality of films and the lack of homegrown productions. Industry experts believe that there is still a great void to be filled in terms of locally made films, despite the fact that this is one of the fastest growing sectors in China.
Domestic Chinese production firms were able to bring five animated movies to the screens prior to the June 1 celebration of Children's Day. While all the titles were promising, none was able to earn more than six million yuan.
In comparison, two foreign films -Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Angry Birds Movie- managed to woo the public attention and earned $53 million and $74 million respectively.
Shanghai film fan Ma Yao told the South China Morning Post that "It's not that the audience don't like to go to cinemas anymore, but we're becoming pickier. People were fooled last year. They can't be possibly cheated again this year."
Despite the growing disinterest in locally made Chinese films, the industry is still growing rapidly. In 2015, more than 1,200 new cinemas were opened in the mainland.
