China Box Office Ends Year With $6.77B; On Way To Overtaking U.S. In 2017?

The Chinese government released official box office figures for the year late Thursday night, showing a 48.7% hike from 2014 to over 44B yuan ($6.77B). This is the highest percentage increase since 2011, media authority SAPPRFT said. Industry execs believe China will overtake North America as the world's biggest box office market in 2017. Domestic receipts were a huge $11B this year so the Middle Kingdom still has some catching up to do. Can China do it? After a year that…