The gross of box offices in urban China increased 42.96 percent to reach 6.2 billion yuan ($908 million) in 2009, the Economic Daily reported today.

China produced 456 films in 2009, grossing more than 3 billion yuan ($439 million). The box office gross for The Great Cause of Nation Building and two other domestic films reached 400 million yuan ($58.5 million) in 2009.

There were 142 new movie theaters and 626 new screens added in China last year, bringing the total number of screens in China to 4,723, the report said.