CHINA’S box office is booming, but it’s not Hollywood blockbusters driving the surge, it’s homegrown movies.

    China’s overall box office grosses had reached US$1.68 billion as of June 23, according to a study released by EntGroup, up 27 percent over 2012 at the same point in the year. Significantly, Chinese films are responsible for US$1.05 billion of that, giving them an impressive 63 percent market share.

    In 2012, Chinese movies accounted for just 10 percent of the country’s market share at this point in the year.

    “This should be a bit of a wake-up call for Hollywood,” said BoxOffice.com’s Phil Contrino. “The numbers say China isn’t starving for U.S. movies.”

    The shift could give the Chinese an edge in terms of their often-strained relationship with Hollywood studios, who are trying to increase their footprint in the country at the same time that China is working to build its domestic film industry.

    China last year surpassed Japan as the world’s No. 2 market behind the United States with box office revenues of US$2.7 billion, up 36 percent from the previous year, and it is expected to surpass the North American box office by 2020.

    Because the Chinese market is growing so fast — Motion Picture Association of America chairman and CEO Chris Dodd said earlier this year that 10 new screens are opening every day — Hollywood movies are still making major profits. So far this year, “Iron Man 3” has brought in US$120 million, “Star Trek Into Darkness” grossed US$56 million and animated kids movie “The Croods” has brought in US$63 million.

    But compare that with the haul of four Chinese movies this year: “Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons” has brought in more than US$200 million, “So Young” has grossed US$116 million and “American Dreams in China” has totaled US$88 million.

    Debuting June 27, Chinese drama “Tiny Times” knocked superhero blockbuster “Man of Steel” off the top of China’s box office charts during the week ending on June 30. The movie raked in 273 million yuan (US$44.5 million) in the week, according to figures released by China Film News on Wednesday. “Tiny Times” outshone both “Man of Steel,” which took in 132.6 million yuan in the week, and “Badges of Fury,” which features action star Jet Li.

    “Ever since the huge success of the low-budget comedy ‘Lost in Thailand,’ which was released in December, Chinese viewers’ enthusiasm and expectations for domestic film productions have jumped,” said Huang Ting, industry analyst with EntGroup.

    There’s no need for Hollywood to panic, Contrino cautioned. “I don’t think it’s an either-or situation,” he said. “There’s room for both, particularly with the market growing as fast as it is.”

    But he suggested U.S. filmmakers might want to fine-tune their approach and do a better job of understanding Chinese culture in order to connect with audiences.

    “I think it’s misdirected to, say, shoot a couple of scenes in Beijing and think that’s going to make a difference with Chinese audiences,” Contrino said. “’Avatar,’ which didn’t do any of that, is still the biggest movie in the history of China, and I think there’s a lesson to be learned there.” (SD-Agencise)