As China aims to dominate global industries, trade, and more, the communist nation will likely surpass the United States in one economic factor in 2020: movie ticket sales.
According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study published by The Hollywood Reporter, China is on pace to exceed the U.S. in box office revenue next year and will take over the top spot among all nations.
Since 2015, China has been atop the charts when it comes to the number of tickets sold at movie theaters — no doubt aided by the fact that its population is 1.4 billion, compared to just under 330 million in the U.S.
Overall, the movie industry will see box office growth at least through 2023, the study predicted.
"With on-demand home video, there were a lot of folks who thought cinema would die," PwC analyst C.J. Bangah told the Reporter. "But tickets, admissions and screens are all projected to rise."
The box office gains come despite a massive increase in the number of people who watch movies at home, using on-demand services from their cable providers or apps such as Netflix and HBO Now.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.