Zhejiang Cultural Tourism Observation: Can the Spring Festival stalls drive the recovery of movie theaters?

　　Chinanews, Hangzhou, February 12th, title: Zhejiang Cultural Tourism Observation: Can the Spring Festival stalls drive the recovery of movie theaters?

　　Reporter Tong Xiaoyu

　　The Spring Festival stalls in 2023 are very hot and lively.

According to statistics from the National Film Specialty Office, more than 100 million people went to movie theaters during the Spring Festival holiday, and the attendance rate of popular movies during prime time exceeded 80%.

　　The enthusiasm for the Spring Festival stalls has not yet dissipated, and the film market in February ushered in new films.

Marvel superheroes, Hong Kong movies, and Valentine's Day romance movies provide many audiences with more choices.

According to incomplete statistics, in the first half of the year, there were more than 40 officially announced films in China, and there were many excellent works distributed in each month.

　　In the eyes of many people, everything is going in a good direction: audiences are back, movies are back, and movie theaters are picking up.

But for theater people, new challenges also follow.

　　Fu Haifang, director of the Zhejiang Film Association and general manager of Zhejiang Xingguang Cinema Line Co., Ltd., said that the current movie theaters need to change. "The days of lying down and making money a few years ago are gone forever."

　　Why?

This is related to changes in viewing habits.

　　Fu Haifang said that in recent years, with the advancement of multimedia technology, more and more people are used to watching movies at home.

In the past, they could pay for a good-looking movie anytime, anywhere, but now, what they watch is not the plot but the special effects.

Unless it is a popular schedule or a blockbuster movie, it is difficult to activate their enthusiasm for watching movies.

　　In fact, there are more and more popular movies gathering popular schedules, and it is difficult for the movies that are usually released to support the audience to walk into the cinema after get off work.

Fu Haifang worries that if people stay away from theaters for a long time, their daily enthusiasm for watching movies may fade.

　　In the reporter's opinion, this requires movie theaters to change their existing business ideas and explore innovative business models.

A movie theater is not just a place to show movies, or a place to sell popcorn and Coke.

　　How to change?

Fu Haifang said that theaters should develop in the direction of diversified construction and develop the "movie+" model.

　　The reporter observed that some theaters cooperate with business models such as dramas, talk shows, and script killings.

For example, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Zhejiang Film Times Cinema (Xinyuan International Store) has introduced VR escape rooms and holographic technology to kill scripts while improving the viewing experience.

　　Zhejiang Xingguang Cinema Line Co., Ltd., where Fu Haifang works, once hosted the 2022 Italian Film Festival, bringing to the audience many films such as "Eight and a Half" and "La Dolce Vita", masterpieces of Italian film master Federico Fellini.

Within two minutes of ticketing, all shows were sold out.

　　A person in charge of a theater in Hangzhou said that focusing on movies and giving full play to the social attributes of theaters may be a good way to help movie theaters attract audiences.

　　Homogeneous management has become one of the obstacles to the survival and development of cinemas.

Just like homestays cannot be "one place for thousands of places", he believes that movie theaters should also develop in a personalized direction, especially with good service.

For example, provide entertainment facilities in the waiting area of ​​the theater, provide "Haidilao" service, or cooperate with related brands to carry out offline performances to attract audiences.

　　In the reporter's view, as the terminal of the film industry, the only thing that really needs and can attract audiences is movies, rich and good movies that are constantly entering theaters.

　　The popularity of theaters during the Spring Festival shows that the Chinese film market has entered a full recovery track.

The key lies in whether the film production unit can seize this opportunity to make influential blockbuster and good films, so that audiences can see movies from "non-essential" to "necessary".

As long as there are good films, the audience will always be there, and the theater will always be warm.

(over)