The annual film box office in China is likely to hit 10 billion yuan (US$1.46 billion) in a matter of several years if people in small and medium-sized cities have easier access to cinemas, said a cultural official Wednesday.

Zhang Jianxin, deputy director of the Cultural Market Department under the Ministry of Culture, made the remarks on the sidelines of the annual plenary session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which started Wednesday afternoon.

China's record film ticket sales last year, which rose 43 percent from 2008 to exceed 6 billion yuan, mainly came from cinemas in major cities, while markets in small and medium-sized cities, especially those in central and western regions, are still sluggish, said Zhang, also a member of the CPPCC National Committee, the country's top political advisory body.

Zhang said small and medium-sized cities are where the film industry can tap market potentials, and as long as people there are given easier access to cinemas, the annual national box office will top 10 billion yuan.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2010)