銆€銆€BEIJING, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- As of Sunday morning, the Chinese comedy "Lost in Thailand" became the highest-grossing domestic film of all time, with over 900 million yuan (143 million U.S. dollars) in box office sales.

銆€銆€The movie, which cost just 30 million yuan to make, tells the story of two rival Chinese businessmen vying to find the company's major shareholder in Thailand and a simple-minded pancake maker.

銆€銆€Since hitting theaters on Dec. 12, the comedy has outshone and out-earned its domestic and foreign competition, including "Life of Pi," "Back to 1942," "The Last Supper," "Chinese Zodiac 12" and "The Last Tycoon."

銆€銆€After laughing through the 105-minute gut-buster, many moviegoers have hung around to watch behind-the-scenes clips included in the movie's closing credits.

銆€銆€"The comedy is successful because it is down to earth in giving Chinese audiences what they want: popular stars, funny dialogue, good timing and a reflection of ourselves," said Zhang Huijun, head of the Beijing Film Academy.

銆€銆€Meanwhile, the timing of the movie's release was well planned, Zhang said, adding that religious and political themes are absent from the movie, making it an easy one to enjoy.

銆€銆€As the box office of "Lost in Thailand" approaches that of "Titanic in 3D," which took in 935 million yuan in Chinese theaters this year, Chinese moviegoers are waiting to what other surprises may be in store.

銆€銆€"To some degree, its success has saved the dim domestic film situation," Zhang added.

銆€銆€According to New Film Association general manager Huang Qunfei, Chinese-made movies made more than their imported counterparts for the past nine consecutive years in China, but this year, foreign imports are set to out-earn domestic films for the first time.

銆€銆€Statistics from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) show that from January to October, domestic films accounted for 41.4 percent of total box office earnings, marking a noticeable drop from the same period of last year.

銆€銆€As of Dec. 24, only three domestic films were counted among the ten highest-grossing films of the year: "Lost in Thailand," "Painted Skin: The Resurrection" (726 million yuan) and "Back to 1942" (364 million yuan), according to figures provided by China Film News.

銆€銆€Other movies on the list include "Titanic in 3D" (935 million yuan), "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (679 million yuan), "Life of Pi" (570 million yuan), "The Avengers" (565 million yuan), "Men in Black 3" (517 million yuan), "Ice Age: Continental Drift" (458 million yuan) and "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" (388 million yuan).

銆€銆€Tian Jin, deputy head of the SARFT, announced in November that the market share of domestic movies had dropped due to the increasing number of imported films.

銆€銆€In February, China and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on films in the World Trade Organization's China-audiovisual case. According to the memo, 14 more U.S. films will be imported into China annually, in addition to the original 20-film quota.

銆€銆€The immaturity of the Chinese film industry is another major reason for domestic films to lag behind, and Chinese film enterprises need to learn from their Western counterparts, Huang said.