China’s censorship is sinking its own movie market

China’s box-office take for the first half of the year declined for the first time in a decade—and China’s own censorship could be one of the culprits. As of June, China’s box office has taken in around 31 billion yuan ($4.5 billion) (links in Chinese) this year, a 2.8% drop from around 32 billion yuan ($4.7 billion) the same period last year, according to data compiled from China’s TV and film regulator, the National Radio and Television Administration, and state-run newspaper People’s Daily. The drop comes in a year that has seen China toughen censorship on the movie industry.