The Chronicles of Narnia will go on general release in China next spring in a move that underlines the growing appetite for global cinema in the Asian nation.

It is unusual for the Chinese government to approve the release of a Hollywood film so quickly. However China's Film Bureau clearly felt the C S Lewis adaptation merited swift approval.

China has traditionally been slow to accept Hollywood pictures and imposes annual quotas on the number of foreign releases allowed within its borders.

Earlier this year the government blocked all US pictures from reaching Chinese cinemas for one month, a defensive ploy designed to boost the success of the local film industry.

But now it appears the Chinese are relaxing their regulations as homegrown filmmakers prove they can match foreign imports.

New figures released this week reveal China's box office continues to grow year-on-year and swelled by 30% in 2005 to approximately $250m, a number that seems trifling by US standards but represents a huge stride for China.

The key indicator is the market share figures, but these have not yet been made public. Last year local pictures accounted for 55% and experts predict a number in the 50% region for 2005.

This week The Promise, an epic combat tale by the venerable Chen Kaige, opened in its native land taking a record-breaking £5.2m in its first four days.

The biggest US earners in China this year have been Harry Potter 4 on $11m (£6.4m) and Star Wars: Episode III on $9m (£5.2m).

It remains to be seen how well Narnia will fare. Thus far Disney reports the picture has sold more than $210m (£121m) in tickets since going on release in the first weekend of December.