Film industry insiders believe new movie screens, which are sprouting up across the country, are a strong force stimulating box office earnings in China.

 

　　But one expert also believes that box office revenues will continue to grow if China evenly distributes its cinemas in cities, including small county-level ones.

 

　　CRI's Shen Ting has more.

 

　　China is undergoing a cinematic growth spurt, with 10 new cinema screens opening each day throughout the country, a higher number than anywhere else.

 

　　This trend is also attracting international investment to Chinese cinemas.

 

　　As the first jointly funded cinema in Beijing, Megabox, with some investment from South Korea, built its first movie theater in 2007 at Zhongguancun shopping mall in Beijing's Haidian district. Today, the Zhongguancun cinema is one of the most popular movie theaters in the city.

 

　　Li Yi, operations manager of the Zhongguancun cinema, proudly tells reporters about the theater's high moviegoer numbers.

 

　　"From Monday to Thursday, our cinema will receive around 2,000 moviegoers per day. Friday to Sunday is the prime time for moviegoers, particularly during a good movie debut, and this may lead to the number of moviegoers rising to 4,000 per day. We often see moviegoers queuing up in a long line for a ticket."

 

　　Film industry insider, actress Dai Lele, believes a growing number of newly built cinemas have boosted the country's box office revenue considerably.

 

　　"An obvious development is that we have more and more cinemas in China. In the past, we had to go far away to look for a cinema in order to watch a movie. Today, cinemas are often nearby either in the neighborhood of a community where we live or at a shopping area, which has also given rise to booming box office returns in China."

 

　　Chinese comedy film actress Dai Lele (L), who stars in the film "Dinner Party," visits the "Reel China" studio at CRI to discuss her latest movie on March 29, 2013. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

 

　　Today, audiences in big Chinese cities are happy not only about the growing number of new cinemas, but also about the advanced equipment in them, which offer moviegoers many pleasant surprises.

 

　　When James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" opened in December 2009, there were only 13 IMAX screens in all of China. Today, there are 110, with some 140 more scheduled to open in the near future.

 

　　Another film industry insider, playwright Dong Runnian, predicts cinema operators will increase their investment by introducing advanced equipment to satisfy people's desire to have better movie-going experiences.

 

　　"Nowadays, we have seen more and more IMAX screens or big screens in China that comfort audience' eyes with proper brightness. Big progress has been made in cinema facilities. I also think along with the boom in the Chinese film market, cinema managers in Chinese cities will become willing to increase their investment in technical upgrades."

 

　　Dong Runnian [File Photo: ent.sina.com]

 

　　Meanwhile, the noticeable growth in the number of movie theaters in big Chinese cities has unavoidably brought in market competition.

 

　　Manager Li Yi says Megabox now offers certain services to make itself more competitive.

 

　　"Six of our eight video halls have 3D equipment. Competition among cinemas in Beijing does exist. Hence, we follow a very rigid standard in the quality of service and management. We also provide our moviegoers with novel food varieties which are usually imported from overseas, and customers enjoy the flexibility to have different meal options at a discounted price."

 

　　By contrast, movie cinemas are still in short supply in some second- and third-tier cities, particularly in western China, where most local theaters are timeworn and outdated.

 

　　Li Qiankuan [File Photo: baike.baidu.com]

 

　　Li Qiankuan, film director and chairman of the China Film Association, a 6,000-member filmmakers' organization, believes bustling small cities, even county-level ones, must install more screens in the future.

 

　　"But the construction of Chinese cinemas is situated in central areas or business districts in coastal cities and big cities. A large number of second- and third-tier cities and more than 3,000 county-level cities are not well covered by the country's cinema-construction projects. As the country yields a plan to further expand the construction of Chinese cinemas, Chinese box offices will embrace another big jump in overall scale."

 

　　For CRI, I'm Shen Ting.