2,500 digital cinemas to be built to boost movie industry

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, February 04, 2004

2,500 digital cinemas to be built to boost movie industry

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Ranked second in the world in terms of number of digital cinemas, China is eyeing building 2,500 more such cinemas within five years, taking a significant step to promote the country's movie industry.

Yang Buting, general manager of the China Film Group Corporation, said a digital screening system project that costs a total of 200 million yuan (some 24 million US dollars) is underway nationwide now.

In the next five years, 500 digital cinemas will be built in urban areas and 2,000 in rural areas, according to Yang.

In 2003, the China Film Group Corporation built 50 digital cinemas successfully, making the country the world's number two digital cinema owner only after the United States.

Cinemas in China used to screen films by buying film copies, each of which usually costs thousands of dollars, which caused great financial obstacles to most local cinemas. However, through satellite, a digital screening system could convey images and sounds to many cinemas by using only one copy, incredibly reducing the costs as well as expanding film showing opportunities.

In the past year, China has cooperated at almost all levels from manufacturing to post-screening commercial activities with world film giants like Warner Bros., Kodak and Sony. Yang said that through the cooperation, China could not only expand its horizons, but allow its film industry to boom ultimately.

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