Nearly 25,000 shows were staged in Beijing last year, attracting an audience of over 11.2 million, the municipal cultural affairs authorities said Thursday.

According to the Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau and Beijing Trade Association for Performances, a total of 24,684 commercial performances were held as of the end of December, or about 68 shows per day, generating 1.78 billion yuan (260 million U.S. dollars) of box-office receipts, with theatrical and musical performances dominating 80 percent of the market.

Audience numbers increased by 4.1 percent. Drama, circus, acrobatics, magic and plays for children attracted the largest audiences, about 5.2 million viewers, or 46.2 percent of the total.

The introduction of foreign classical musicals, including "Chicago" and "Kinky Boots," has brought more attention to the market, authorities said.

An increasing number of foreign theater classics in different languages are introduced to the Chinese audience while some embrace their Chinese adaption, including Shakespearean masterpiece "Hamlet" and celebrated Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin's comedy "Winter Funeral".

(With input from Xinhua)