Movie theaters in Hong Kong have helped rake in HK$1 billion (US$128 million) in 2007, reported the local Motion Picture Industry Association.

As of December 30, a total of 232 films have been screened, among them 50 made in Hong Kong. These local films have generated gross revenue of HK$227 million, Tuesday's Wen Wei Po newspaper cited the association as saying.

Derek Yee's crime film "Protégé," starring Andy Lau, Daniel Wu and Anita Yuen, eclipsed other Hong Kong films with HK$26 million.

"Spider-Man 3," with a local box office revenue of HK$55 million, wound up as the most bankable film produced by a non-Hong Kong team.

Other foreign front-runners included "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Transformers."

(CRI January 2, 2008)