Domestic documentaries also made groundbreaking achievements in 2017 thanks to works like Twenty Two, a film about 22 comfort women who survived World War II after being forced to become sex slaves by invading Japanese forces. It is the first Chinese documentary to surpass 100 million yuan in takings at the box office.

While many of these acclaimed movies were made by talented young filmmakers, some prestigious directors shook off recent commercial failures to find their former glory, such as Feng Xiaogang with his nostalgic hit Youth and Chen Kaige with his epic Legend of the Demon Cat.

Industry watchers agree that the changes in Chinese moviegoers' viewing habits are a result of a shift in preference toward films with more diverse themes and higher production values. This trend was also reflected in the market for foreign movies.

Several non-Hollywood productions became unexpected hits in China last year thanks to word-of-mouth success fueled by favorable online reviews.

Examples of these include Indian biographical drama Dangal and hit Thai comedy Bad Genius. Both racked up their countries' best performances to date at the Chinese box office.

Spanish crime drama The Invisible Guest and Polish-English coproduction Loving Vincent, an animated biography about painter Vincent van Gogh, also became sleeper hits despite low-profile promotional efforts.

With urban cinema attendance rising to 1.62 billion yuan in 2017, an increase of 18 percent from the previous year, analysts expect to see more Chinese moviegoers flock to the cinema in the year to come, thanks in no small part to a more diverse range of viewing options.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn