China overtakes Japan as second-largest film market

China surpassed Japan to become the world’s second-largest film market in 2012, Reuters reported, quoting data from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). China’s box office ticket sales rose 36% in 2012, compared to a 6% year-over-year increase in the global market, according to a market report by the MPAA. The country’s growing appetite for Hollywood films led to a record year for global box office sales of US$34.7 billion in 2012. In February 2012, China opened its market to more foreign films by permitting 14 premium pictures, defined as IMAX and 3D films (as well as their 2D counterparts), to show in Chinese theaters, in addition to its yearly quota of 20.