China's film regulator has suspended the distribution license of a company accused of fraudulently boosting box office figures for the martial arts movie "Ip Man 3" by millions of dollars, the state Xinhua News Agency reported.

Claims that the film drew more than 500 million yuan ($77 million) at the box office in its first four days raised questions that prompted distributor Beijing Max Screen to admit it bought 56 million yuan of tickets itself, Xinhua quoted the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) as saying.

The company also fabricated more than 7,600 screenings that it claimed generated 32 million yuan in ticket sales, Xinhua said in a report over the weekend.