China Focus: Silver screens light up cultural consumption upgrade with "cinema plus" model

BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- What can be done in a cinema, other than watching a film? There are now numerous options for Chinese residents, as these once single entertainment venues are upgrading into multi-functional public cultural spaces.

During the three-day New Year holiday, a cinema in east China's Huzhou attracted both film fans and people seeking novelty. Sitting in separate booths, viewers enjoyed steaming hot pot while following the twists and turns unfolding on the big screen.

Audience member Lin Huan viewed it as a wonderful interactive experience. By integrating movie-going with catering services, showtimes during typical lunch and dinner hours -- previously marked by low occupancy rates -- have become highly popular.

Likewise, many theaters across the country have been embracing a "cinema plus" model to break boundaries, blending screenings with a wide range of leisure activities like concerts, exhibitions and sports to enrich people's cultural lives.

Weng Yang, an associate professor at the Beijing Film Academy, said Chinese cinemas are gradually evolving into comprehensive consumption spaces that integrate various forms of entertainment.

This shift, experts believe, is largely driven by a demand for more immersive and engaging experiences, resulting in an expansion and diversification of consumption scenarios.

Amid the consumption upgrade wave, some cinemas have leveraged cutting-edge audiovisual tech to host livestreams and live broadcasts -- from presenting National Day celebrations to inviting gamers to play demos of the blockbuster "Black Myth: Wukong."

Sports games are another blue-ocean field. In the summer of 2024, when the Paris Olympics sparked a frenzy for sports among Chinese residents, hundreds of cinemas saw an influx of visitors eager to watch Olympic events.

One Shanghai resident, who gave the pseudonym Xiao Pei, told the media that he had watched the men's singles table tennis final at a local cinema. He was particularly impressed by the unique experience, when enthusiastic cheers and thunderous applause erupted as Chinese athlete Fan Zhendong claimed gold.

"I never expected to watch the Olympics and sing the national anthem with strangers at a cinema. It was so fascinating -- I felt like I was right there!" he said.

Industry insiders say that as well as offering more entertainment alternatives at cinemas, the cross-sector integration has opened up new space for cinema earnings.

The total box office for the live broadcast of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in cinemas reached approximately 2.44 million yuan (about 347,935 U.S. dollars), according to data from a box office data provider owned by Alibaba.

Chen Xi, an associate research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Macroeconomic Research, pointed out that China's film industry is transforming from a "box office economy" to a "multi-dimensional consumption ecosystem."

The economic effect of the "cinema plus" model also reflects a broader consumption upgrade trend across many sectors in China, and film is becoming a new driver of consumption growth, she noted.

Today, many parts of the country are giving full play to the role cinemas play in stimulating consumption. Some theaters in Yancheng, east China's Jiangsu Province, are attracting audiences with traditional Chinese musical performances and a feast of local specialities, while popular tourist destinations like Chongqing and Yunnan have rolled out policies allowing people who purchase cinema tickets to avail of discounts on hotel bookings.

Official data shows that service consumption grew at an accelerated pace in the first 11 months of 2025, with service retail categories posting double-digit sales growth, including culture and sports, and telecommunication and information.

Zhu Di, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Sociology, said that the new film consumption business model can promote an upgrade in film technology. It also boosts consumption growth and creates new economic growth points.

Weng suggested that cinemas should prioritize the quality of services and consider their conditions when introducing new business models. "They should keep a close watch on market dynamics and audience demand to make adjustments for sustainable development."

One weekend this chilly winter, a long-running cinema in downtown Beijing staged a piano concert on a makeshift stage, the silver screen behind displaying background scenes to accompany the live music. Far from diminishing the appeal of the performance, the temporary platform placed the musicians closer to the audience, making the concert experience even more immersive for the nearly 200 people in attendance.

It was Beijing resident Zhao Meng's first time enjoying such a performance, and she had been unexpectedly impressed. "It's just as good as being in a theater. The relatively small venue actually created a hearty atmosphere without any sense of being inaccessible," she said.

The cinema's manager, Yu Chao, said it had introduced concerts and various other activities in 2025, hosting 110 performances and 30 livestreams throughout the year.

It hosts piano performances about once every two months, securing an attendance rate of more than 80 percent. "The 'cinema plus' model has brought us more than profits," Yu said. "In the long run, it will help enhance our popularity, drive the integration of culture, commerce, tourism and sports in theaters, and build unique brand identities for cinemas," he said. ■