Film experts and cinema owners discussed the development and influence of Chinese movie theaters at yesterday\'s film festival summit "Cinema Revolution: Its Role in Digital Times".
Digital screening is becoming the mainstream exhibition method in China and has a huge impact on the film industry by lowering costs and adding variety.
"Digital screening has also lowered the investment threshold." said Zhang Baoquan, President and Co-Chairman of Antaeus Group Co., Ltd.
He also stressed the importance of increasing the number of cinemas in China."Cinemas should become a new media platform," Zhang said. "In China, 75 percent of our regions and cities have no cinemas."
He suggested developing cinemas proportionally across the different sized cities: 15-20 percent large size, 60-70 percent medium size, and 15-20 percent small size.
Shimao Cinema Investment Co., Ltd plans to collaborate with Dolby and Christie to build more modern and interactive i-cinemas around the country.
According to Shimao General Manager Liu Ming, the company expects to have 60 multifunctional theaters and 500 screens in five years.
The cinemas will feature e-commerce facilities and a display area for product promotion. New technology will be mainly targeted at the country\'s post-80s\' generation.
Yin Hong, professor of film and television studies at Tsinghua University, said the Chinese film market was still dependent mostly on box office returns.
It experienced a huge peak last year when the box office exceeded 10 billion RMB, making it one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The movie ticket cost in China is expensive compared with some other countries, and panelists explained the reasons.
Ye Ning, general manager of Wanda Cinema Line Co., Ltd., said ticket prices were determined by supply-demand relationships in the market. The Chinese film industry is still developing and the price will eventually reach a stable level, he added.
"We have a limited number of great movies, so the ticket price is higher." said Zhao Jun, General Manager of Guangdong Province Film Company.
Director Wang Xiaoshuai added that the content of films was also important.
"As the number of cinemas increases, more films will be needed," Wang said. "Directors should start planning now so the new screens will have more variety and the audience has more ways to enjoy films."