China Cinema Digest – Thursday 26 February 2015

By Patrick von Sychowski | February 26, 2015 3:37 am PST
China Daddy Trip

The box office over Chinese New Year (CNY), traditionally always strong and devoted to domestic blockbusters, was up significantly this year to 350 million yuan (USD $56 million). The reason is attributed to the growth in the number of screens, which is set to cross 25,000 by early March.

Single-day box office close to 350 million yuan of the strongest in the history of blowout

According to the country’s major mainstream cinema to rough statistics, as of 24 o’clock last night, National City theater box office on February 19 of about 330 million yuan; not enough time plus part of the statistics reported missing at the box office and is expected to eventually accessible 350 million Yuan. The current average fare of less than 40 yuan Chinese cinema, which means the country on February 19, about 10 million people into the theater viewing. Day become the country’s largest cultural consumption events. At present, the Chinese New Year holiday is only just beginning; the law in recent years from a historical point of view, last week will be the peak viewing audience and box office visits will be started almost the same output, the seventh day before the expected total audience Visitors reach sixty-seven million.

After the seventh day, as some people go to work, there are some cities in the return of the road, the market heat will be reduced, but the Chinese New Year holiday to go to the fifteenth day after will be completely finished. So even after the seventh day trips Pujiang half the audience, to the fifteenth day before there would have been two or three million, add up to a hundred million.  LINK

Chinese New Year cinema

CNY is like a combination of Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it is an opportunity for families to spend time together – in silence in the cinema. Micro-channels providers were quick to offer impossibly cheap cinema ticket deals.

Tencent also launched “Please watch the movie universe” campaign, users can spend 188 yuan to buy a movie ticket prices, which contains 12 movie coupon, then like red envelopes will generally share this package to my circle of friends, or micro-channel group inside. Baidu also launched the “stand by 20 yuan,” online discount. After the user through the phone Baidu search for “movie tickets”, you will go directly to the page and the next one after purchase, minus $ 10, if paid in Baidu wallet, you can minus 10 yuan.

“Micro-channel supplier of low-fare passenger seemingly led the theater, but also to a certain extent, to mislead the consumer.” Hangzhou Golden Elephant cinema Weng Liping, general manager, told reporters that the general movie tickets cost 25 yuan to 35 between the yuan, too low prices make consumers think that the normal fare but became unreasonable.

Weng Liping believes that the Internet cheap tickets compress the cinema’s own space operations in the face of these ridiculously low fares, cinema launch membership immediately lost its appeal, is not conducive to get sticky customers.  LINK

China online ticket

Yet more Chinese consumers complaining that they can’t get refunds for internet tickets once purchased. They obviously don’t read the terms of business that state “once purchased, all sales are non-refundable.”

Yesterday, the reporter called several Star City theater, theater managers have said that the theater can not deal directly with third-party platforms returned tickets. “Because it is a third-party ticketing, online ticketing is not get returned to the cinema.” Cinema staff said, the net purchase of movie tickets can only be transferred to friends or family, you can not refund the theater.

Cinema subside, third-party platform? Network ticket network, time network, watercress, movies and other third-party platform Taobao said that once the purchase of movie tickets can not refund. Unless cinema system problems arise, causing power outages and other movie does not play, third-party platform will verify in consultation with the theater, when necessary compensation.  LINK

Concessions

China popcorn

With competition due to the high number of new cinemas in China being fierce, exhibitors are increasingly focusing on ancillary revenue such as concession spend and advertising.

A survey of consumers in the theater and other entertainment consumer behavior shows that consumer spending per capita in the theater snacks are often close to or even greater than the movie itself fares in these snack consumption among tasty popcorn accounted for “half” .

It is understood that, with the increasingly fierce market competition, theater, cinema box office receipts in the proportion dropped to about 70%, in order to increase the profitability of space, theater operators have begun to revitalize the site resource through a variety of ways. Orange Sky Golden Harvest Studios in Xining, for example, the 2014 box office revenue of 19 million yuan, and a variety of sale revenue of 400 million yuan, increasing sales for three consecutive years. Data shows that even popcorn imported raw materials, the cost of a barrel of less than 10 yuan, while the multi-theater popcorn sold for about 30 yuan, at least 100% profit margin. Thus, popcorn “burst” out of rice flower economy, not just the “economic” rice flower, but also more “economy” of the theater.

Furthermore, in addition to a variety of sale revenue, as well as placement cinema advertising, venue rental, and other agents to promote income derivatives.  LINK

Health & Safety

China cinema fire safety

Following the fatal New Year’s stampede in Shanghai, authorities are took extra precautions this CNY to ensure fire safety regulations were being observed in cinemas, malls and other public spaces.

Cinema as a mass entertainment and leisure venues, more and more become a weekend, holiday and leisure venues of choice, especially in the current part of the university have been on winter break, but also the value of the Chinese New Year approaching, cinema usher peak passenger flow, for a really good job cinema fire safety, fire safety awareness to further enhance the cinema employees, recently, Anju District Suining City Fire Brigade (hereinafter referred to as the brigade) entered the area of ??the Pacific Ocean to carry out fire safety checks and cinema Fire Awareness for the upcoming Spring Festival to lay off fire safety.

First check the brigade propagandist cinema theater fire in each channel is blocked, fire facilities are complete, whether within the valid period of use, the person in charge of each hall is able to properly use fire equipment, fire exits and then check on the corridor Are fire extinguishers and fire hydrants can be used to fire staff who explain the characteristics of cinema, fire prevention knowledge of the basics of correct initial fire alarm. Finally, the group advocates demonstrate the proper use of fire equipment to employees and teach everyone to use.  LINK

China cinema fire

It seems like a sensible precaution, given how quickly a fire in this building engulfed the cinema. Fortunatelly nobody died.

Today is New Year’s Day, the people of Hangzhou Miss Jiang specially Omi movie with his son to see the newly released World “Zhong Kui Demon: snow demon spirit. ” Never thought to buy a ticket to sit down and was less than ten minutes, it was the staff “please” out of the cinema.

9:00, Hangzhou Omi a seafood stall fire, fires bring disaster upstairs Omi Film World, cinema audiences in and around a number of businesses were evacuated hundreds of herdsmen. The fire completely extinguished within an hour after, but fortunately the fire did not cause casualties since. After investigation, the fire department seafood stall illegal construction, after years of remediation transformation.  LINK

Cinema Opening/Closings

China upgraded multiplex

As many older multiplexes start to feel the heat of competition they are being pushed to upgrade to meet evolving customer expectations.

6:00 last night, the reporter went to “Qingchun” along the escalator on, and found that the second floor auditorium has disappeared, here became a shadow spacious waiting hall. With beige tone, north ticket office, the East is West Point bar. Bright and spacious lounge, decorated simple and elegant, there are a few spectators sitting in lounge chairs waiting approach.

“Theater originally had 14 rooms, this lost a total of two hall, down 12. Two floor auditorium full demolished to make room, playing lounge, you can enhance environmental comfort. In addition, we West Point also introduced bar and food area, the audience familiar Zhiweiguan and radiant city also renovated a new video game. “Shen Wei theater manager said.

The new auditorium on the third floor, decorated very stylish. Corridor on the original poster light boxes, all replaced by an electronic poster screen, playing the latest movie trailers.  LINK

Harley Davidson Cinema

An interesting theme-based multiplex opening. But is USB charging sockets in the seats a step too far? Won’t exactly discourage smartphone use in the cinema.

Yesterday, a new city in European City Outlets for our future theater theater officially opened a mystery. This theme features a theater auditorium, with Viking, hello Kitty, X-Men, Spider-Man, Harley [pictured above], Chanel and other six themes auditorium can accommodate 400 people watching the films, in order to allow the audience relaxed freely comfortable viewing, movie hall sofa seats in all seats, the seat is also equipped with a USB charging intimate jack on the last row of seats as well as a couple of very kawaii doll pillow. In addition to the auditorium design is modern, the ticket hall is also designed to cater to the tastes of young people, the middle of a cool bar, available around the rest of the seating area to eat, and the bar in addition to the supply of essential viewing popcorn snack In addition, there are freshly squeezed juices, hot drinks and cakes are served. Movie ticket price (adult ticket) -120 60 yuan per month, ranging from membership price of 35-45 yuan.  LINK

The first high-end cinema opening in northern city of Jiaocheng.

People Luliang February 13 electricity from Jiaocheng informed that the county’s first Universal Studios Film Digital Cinema officially open for the masses, which is the county’s first largest and highest grade Studios. It will further meet the entertainment needs of the county’s mass culture, enhance the cultural quality, boost the county’s prosperity and cultural undertakings, and rapid development.

It is reported that Universal Studios Film total area of ??2000 square meters, the floor is an international high-end digital 3D Sync video hall, two, three for the foreign public private custom box. Video room with large digital 3D screens, truly global blockbuster movie released simultaneously, can bring high-tech audience, dynamic artistic beauty. The Studios opened, ending the history in northern no luxury multiplex cinema. Studios not only to bring people in northern and high-quality audio-visual enjoyment, comfort, value viewing services, opened a film culture vision, experience authentic international entertainment new concept.  LINK

Finally

Valentine's Day cinema marriage proposal

It wouldn’t have been Valentine’s Day without a marriage proposal in a cinema.

February 14, Valentine’s Day, Xiangtan Wang and his wife went to a local cinema to see a romantic movie. “Film is 8 o’clock in the evening, before the screening of some of the few board moved in, we did not care.” Mr. Wang said, about two hours after the end of the film, the beginning of a movie about a sudden marriage proposal on the big screen, had intended to leave the audience stopped, followed by someone lifted “Don Sweet marry me” in a few characters, and they know that this is someone to marry him in the cinema. “Male and female are in the cinema watching a movie, the actress surprised and touched, promised to marry, live a cheering and applause, too romantic.”  LINK

Patrick von Sychowski
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