Chinese consumers' passion for films continues to drive the country's overall growth in entertainment and media spending, according to a report by PwC.
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This will lead to overall spending in the sector growing by 8 percent annually in the next five years, with spending in the film industry growing by 15 percent, the professional service company said in its Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2013-17.
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Fast-expanding spending on entertainment and media will make the country the third largest in the sector by 2017 - up from fifth place in 2012 - surpassing the United Kingdom in 2013 and Germany in 2016, according to the report, which will be released on Wednesday.
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China overtook Japan to become the world's second-biggest theatrical market in 2012, seeing $2.66 billion in box-office revenue.
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An ambitious cinema building program is driving the box-office boom - each day nine new screens open on the Chinese mainland. The number of screens on the mainland has increased 10-fold in the past 10 years, from fewer than 1,300 in 2002 to more than 13,100 at the end of 2012.
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"Although 25,000 new screens are planned over the next five years, the opportunity for further growth is still considerable," said Jane Kong, PwC China entertainment and media practice partner.
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The report also forecasts strong growth elsewhere in the entertainment and media industry, such as in music, video games and advertising. Music market, worth $653 million in 2012, is forecast to grow by 8 percent a year to reach $960 million in 2017.Â