A poster for the film  Dying to Survive. [Photo/mtime.com]

Box office sales in China reached 6.96 billion yuan ($1.02 billion) in July, making the month the highest-earning July of all time in the national film market, China Film News reported Wednesday.

The number accounts for 198 million ticket sales and is a 34.79-percent increase from last July, despite only 30 films hitting the screens.

As of the end of the month, total box office sales on the Chinese mainland had hit 38.99 billion yuan this year, up by 20.99 percent on a yearly basis, 24.95 billion of which belonged to domestic films, which enjoyed a 76.17-percent year-on-year upsurge.

Among the films, Chinese comedic drama "Dying to Survive" topped the monthly chart with over 3.05 billion yuan of sales in July, reaching the top five for all-time box office sales in China.

Another domestic comedy, "Hello Mr. Billionaire," grossed 1.29 billion yuan, becoming the other film to surpass the billion mark in July.

The most popular imported film of the month was "Skyscraper," starring Dwayne Johnson, which raked in 605 million yuan.