The China retail prosperity index, a barometer of retailers' expectations for the sector, rose to 50.5 percent in April, the China General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) said on Sunday.
A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.
The figure marked 0.3-point increase from the previous month.
The sub-indexes for commodity business and leasing business went up 0.2 percentage points and 1.3 percentage points respectively on a monthly basis, according to the CGCC data.
Analyses show that driven by seasonal promotions and trade-in programs in April, the business environment of retail market continues to improve with growing consumption vitality.
China's retail prosperity index up in April
China's retail prosperity index up in April
China's retail prosperity index up in April
Year-end box office revenues in China are strong, with sales and pre-sales for screenings between Nov 28 and Dec 31 exceeding 4 billion yuan (about 570 million U.S. dollars) by 22:45 on Thursday, according to online platform data.
The strong performance in the year-end season has been driven by high-quality moviemaking and a broad selection of movies, with more than 50 films scheduled for release during the period, covering suspense, drama, action and science fiction.
Among domestic productions, war drama "Gezhi Town", which tells the little-known story of civilians in a remote mountain town in central China defending their home against Japanese aggression back in the late 1930s, has raked in over 330 million yuan (about 46.87 million U.S. dollars) at the box office, including previews and pre-sales.
Several other domestic titles, including suspense films "The Fire Raven" and "Escape from the Outland" as well as the fantasy time-travel adaptation "Back to the Past," are set to be released on Dec 31, offering audiences many different options for New Year's Eve.
On the imported film front, "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment of the franchise which features new adventures and upgraded 3D visuals, will hit Chinese theaters on Dec 19.
Another import, "Zootopia 2," has already grossed over 3.6 billion yuan (about 511 million U.S. dollars) in China, surpassing its North American earnings and making China the film's top-grossing market worldwide.
China's year-end box office revenues surpass 4 billion yuan
