Beijing, Dec 20 (IANS): There are 40,917 film screens in Chinese theatres as of December 20, the country's film bureau said on Tuesday.
The film industry has seen huge growth, with 26 film screens on average added each day during 2016, Xinhua news agency cited the film bureau as saying.
At least 85 per cent of all new screens can play 3D movies.
The number of screens in the US market has been stable over the years, and stood at 40,759 by the end of May, America's National Association of Theater Owners said in a statement.
Accordingly, China has overtaken the US in terms of film screen numbers, the bureau said.
Box office sales in China, the world's second largest film market, have posted average growth of 35 per cent year on year since 2003.
China's 2016 box office sales are expected to exceed the 2015 total of 44 billion yuan ($6.4 billion).