Massive film sets and production facilities built for Chinese blockbusters are finding a second life as tourist attractions, helping turn the country’s growing film industry into a new driver of local consumption.

The trend is on display at the China Movie Metropolis in Qingdao, where visitors can explore sets created for the anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East". Although the film depicts a war-torn Middle Eastern town and sweeping desert landscapes, more than 95 percent of its production took place in China.

Around 70 percent of the film was shot within the studio park, where 14 sound stages and nine workshops were used to construct nearly 200 full-scale buildings across more than 100,000 square metres.

Since the film's release, the sets have attracted growing numbers of visitors, offering audiences the chance to experience its on-screen world in person.

The development comes as China's summer box office surpassed 12.44 billion yuan on Monday, 31 August, exceeding last year's total for the second consecutive year.