Domestic movies did not fare well in the first half of the year, but imported blockbusters helped drive the entire market, according to the country's film authority.

Box office sales in China in the first six months of the year reached 8.07 billion yuan ($1.28 billion), a 41.7 percent year-on-year increase, according to data the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television released on Thursday.

Ticket sales for imported movies increased by 90.4 percent to 5.27 billion yuan, while sales for domestic films dropped by 4.3 percent to 2.8 billion yuan, according to the administration.