Warner Bros. is looking forward to a still closer cooperation with Chinese peers, which will contribute to the development of China's film industry, an official with the world famous film company said here Friday.

China's film industry has a great potential as the top five movies at Warner Bros. cinemas in 2005 were all Chinese films, namely, the Hero, Kung Fu Hustle, House of Flying Daggers, A World without Thieves, and Myth, said Jon Terence Green, vice-president of Warner Bros. International Cinema Inc. (WBIC), at a press conference marking the centennial of Chinese film and the growth of Warner's business in the country.

However, China to date does not have enough cinemas for a huge market for both domestic and overseas cinema companies, Green noted.

Relevant statistics show that every 240,000 Chinese people only share a film screen in 2004, whereas in the United States, the ratio is more than 8,100.

Warner Bros. was the first Western company to engage in film distribution business in China. Having eight cinemas with more than 14,000 seats in China, the company has raked in some 107 million yuan (nearly 13.4 million U.S. dollars) by the end of November this year, up 81 percent against last year.

"We are ready to make further progress along with Chinese film industry," said Green, underscoring that the combination of international expertise and local resource is the key to success on China's film market.

The company is planning to open "Chinese film rooms" in its cinemas in the country, ensuring a home for all types of Chinese films in Warner Bros. cinemas, according to Green.

A subsidiary company of Warner Bros. in China, the WBIC takes the lead in the cinema business by sharing 9 percent of China's box office.

Source: Xinhua