China’s film box office is on track to surpass that of the US in 2018 to become the largest in the world, driven by a relaxation in censorship and a wider range of films on offer.

Box office monetary earnings in China had already overtaken North America on a quarterly basis, after the US fell for the first time in four years in the first quarter. First-quarter takings in China were $3.17bn — up nearly 40 per cent from last year and ahead of analyst expectations.

“Considering box office performance in the first quarter, there is a chance for China’s box office to catch up with the US in 2018,” EntGroup, a Chinese cinema consultancy, told the Financial Times. However, it added that “it might be difficult for 2018 to maintain its overall high growth rate in China”. EntGroup added that US box office takings are mainly concentrated in the fourth quarter, “so whether China is able to catch up also depends on box office performance in the second half of the year”.