According to the box office results of the main cinema chains across the country, total revenue will grow by 30 percent from last year, said Weng Li, deputy general manager of the film exhibition and distribution arm of the China Film Group.

"So, it's out of question that the country's total box office revenue this year will exceed the 1.5 billion yuan level of last year," he said at the premiere ceremony of the film "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" in Beijing Thursday evening.

Earlier this month, Wang Tianyun, CEO of the Shanghai Film Group, forecast that nation's box office revenue would go beyond 3 billion yuan.

"The development momentum of the Chinese film industry is very good at present," Wang said.

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the fourth installment of a hugely successful series of films, has attracted more Chinese attention than "Star Wars III," according to Weng.

The box office revenue of "Star Wars III" in China through the first weekend after release ranked 10th around the world, the first time that China was among top 10 on the list of the world box office results since it started importing US films in 1994.

"The tickets for the first showings of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' in many cinemas have been sold out," Weng said.
 
(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2005)