China's box-office earnings have surpassed 50 billion yuan (about 7.5 billion US dollars) for the first time, with domestic movies doing better than imported titles. Now, China is the world's second-largest film market after the United States, and this expanding domestic market saw a number of notable developments in 2017. 

China's smash for 2017 is "Wolf Warrior 2". Directed by and starring Chinese martial artist Wu Jing, it is so far, China's highest-grossing film of all time, pulling in revenue of 5.6 billion yuan (around 850 million US dollars). The hero of the film is Leng Feng, a former Chinese Special Forces operative living in a war-torn region of Africa, who saves hundreds of lives from insurgents and mercenaries. It's the first movie to find such success in terms of both earnings and promoting patriotism.

Another highlight of the domestic movie industry is "Angels Wear White". It's about two young girls, living in a small southern coastal town, who are assaulted by a middle-aged man in a motel. They feel helpless in their search for justice. It won the Best Film Award at the 54th International Antalya Film Festival in October, a first for a Chinese film.

Director Vivian Qu says the film focuses on a worldwide social problem of child sexual assault, and raises an awareness with audience. Qu also won best director for "Angels Wear White" at the 54th Golden Horse Awards in Taipei in November.

Another movie that has grabbed the nation's attention focuses on China's "comfort women". The documentary "Twenty Two", directed by Guo Ke, records the daily life of 22 surviving former sex slaves and their memories of Japanese abuse during World War Two.

It set a box office record for documentaries in China, topping 150 million yuan (around 22 million US dollars). The documentary serves as a valuable historical record for scholars studying the issue of wartime sex slaves.

And when it comes to reaching out to audiences, 2017 saw the rise of the new model of "touch screening".  If enough people commit to watching a movie at a certain time, then the theater will agree to show it. One film that proved successful using this model is "Still Tomorrow". It tells the story of a poet, named Yu Xiuhua, who suffers from cerebral palsy. Her poems became a sensation on social media. 

If this year is any indication, the future of the Chinese film industry will be full of movies that, not only feature excitement and cutting edge special effects, but tell stories that elicit strong emotional responses from audiences nationwide.