China's film industry is now in its annual New Year and Spring Festival peak season. There are more than 50 movies competing to attract cinema goers over the next 80 days, surpassing previous seasons.

2009 also sets a new record in box office revenue for China's film industry.

In December, ticket sales at movie theaters reached 750 million yuan, or about $110 million. That's 50 percent increase over 2008. It also set a record for monthly income at the Chinese box office.

Zhang Yimou's comedy thriller A Simple Noodle Story took in 200 million yuan, or about $30 million during its first week after release.

The action thriller Bodyguards and Assassins also broke the 200-million yuan mark.

In the six weeks from mid November to late December, ticket sales on the Chinese mainland reached nearly 1.1 billion yuan, or about $162 million. Such a "blowout" phenomenon had never happened before.

Insiders warn that despite the dramatic boom, China's film industry is far from mature and the new year box office season needs to be further cultivated. Four of the five so-called big-budget movies for this season are period action films. Experts say Chinese film making needs more diversity and should develop towards multiplicity rather than singularity.

(CCTV.com January 3, 2010)