Nicole Kidman attends the opening ceremony of Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis on Sunday. Xu Chongde / for China Daily

Qingdao launches Oriental Movie Metropolis

Back lots in the film and TV industrial park will feature multiple scenes, including European settings, ancient Chinese capitals in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and the Arab world.

Wanda Group has reached preliminary agreements with a number of global movie companies and casting agencies to ensure the facilities are put to good use. Deals have been made for about 30 foreign movies a year to be shot in Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis. In addition, more than 50 domestic film and TV production companies are scheduled to produce around 100 films and TV series there per year.

Wanda is also planning to host an annual Qingdao International Film Festival, starting in 2016. Deals have been signed for the festival with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the United States, the China Film Association, and world's top four talent agencies - CAA, WME, UTA and ICM. The festival is in the process of being approved by government departments.

The planned event will the first time in 86 years that the academy has supported a film festival outside the United States. In the past decade, both Cannes and Tokyo have repeatedly asked the academy to support their film festivals, but without success.

"China's movie box office revenue will surpass North America's by the year 2018 and will double it by 2023, because the 1.3 billion Chinese people are becoming more affluent, while there are an additional 4,000 cinema screens each year," said Wang.