China has surpassed the US as the world's biggest box office. Here's the government's 5-year plan for its movie industry.

• The Chinese government laid out a five-year plan for its film industry this week.
• China surpassed the US as the world's biggest box office during the pandemic.

China surpassed the US as the world's largest theatrical market last year, thanks mostly to local productions that helped it rebound quickly from months-long, pandemic-related shutdowns.

Its government intends to keep the box-office crown.

The China Film Administration recently laid out its five-year plan, in which it pledges to turn China into a "strong cultural power" by "adhering to the Party's total leadership over film work," according to Variety. Deadline noted that the plan was highlighted during last week's plenary session of China's Communist Party.

Variety reported that the plan includes:

• Releasing 50 films per year that gross at least $15.7 million
• Releasing at least 10 movies per year that are "critically acclaimed and popular"
• Local films accounting for more than 55% of total box office per year
• Having 100,000 theater screens by 2025, an increase from 77,000 currently
• Establishing a "national high-tech film research laboratory"
• "Promoting the overall improvement of the level of film special effects through the vigorous support of sci-fi films"

Overall, Chinese productions should illustrate a "trustworthy, lovable, and respectable image of China," the plan said.

The plan reflects steps that the Chinese government has already taken to control the film market.

In a recent conversation with Insider, Aynne Kokas — a media studies professor at the University of Virginia and the author of the book "Hollywood Made in China" — observed a "widespread tightening" of Chinese media and the movie industry.

It's particularly impacted Hollywood releases. No Marvel movies have been approved for release in China this year, from "Shang-Chi" to "Eternals," amid controversies that have sparked the ire of some Chinese nationalists.

Kokas predicted that fewer Hollywood films would be approved in China in the years to come, and those that are would face stricter regulations. China currently has a 34-film quota on foreign releases.

Chris Fenton, a film producer and author of the book "Feeding the Dragon," noted that the China market is "moving away from Hollywood."

"They don't need Hollywood to fill seats anymore," Fenton said. "'The Battle at Lake Changjin' can do that."

"The Battle at Lake Changjin" is a Chinese war film that has grossed $882 million so far from only China, making it the highest-grossing film in the world this year. It's set to be released in other markets soon, like the US and UK.

Chinese films have carried the region's box office during the pandemic. Aside from "Fast 9" and "Godzilla vs. Kong," Hollywood films have largely stumbled.

If the Chinese government wants the country's own films to account for 55% of its annual box office, that shouldn't be too difficult moving forward. They made up 50% of the Chinese box office in 2016, 60% in 2018, and 85% in 2020, according to the research firm Ampere Analysis.

A major part of the Chinese government's theater expansion plans, and its quest to improve its technological prowess, could be Imax, the film technology company that specializes in high-quality cameras and projection systems. CEO Richard Gelfond told Insider during a recent interview that the China market could support 1,300 Imax theaters. There are currently 750 in the region.

The company has embraced Chinese films in recent years. "The Battle at Lake Changjin" was filmed with Imax cameras.

"Our brand grew up with the Chinese film industry to a certain extent," Gelfond said.