The show must go on

As the lights dim and the familiar hum of anticipation fills the air, moviegoers in Beijing are in for a surprise — an art exhibition brought to the CBD branch of the Wanda cinema chain.

Launched on New Year's Eve, Be Loved& Be Rich has displayed about 70 artworks by young artists that embody wishes for 2025, transforming the cinema into a multifunctional cultural space.

Curated by Chen Zhixi, chairwoman of Wanda Film, one of the country's largest cinema operators, the three-month exhibition has initiated its Rtime Verse program to build cinemas into multifaceted cultural hubs. Entry to the exhibition is free.

"Moviegoing is a lifestyle, which requires theaters to cater to the diverse needs of today's audiences. The Rtime Verse program aims to make cinemas into places where one can play, appreciate art, dine and shop," the 42-year-old chairwoman says.

For Chen Jianzhou, one of the featured artists, the exhibition offers a new way to explore art. His pieces on display aim to resonate with the festive spirit of the New Year and the upcoming Spring Festival, bringing joy and blessings to the visitors, according to the artist.

The exhibition comes at a time when the domestic film industry faces challenges in recent years. Despite the country maintaining its position as the world's second-largest film market, its box-office revenue last year reached 42.5 billion yuan ($5.8 billion), a 23 percent drop compared to the previous year, according to data of the China Film Administration. It was lower than the 43.78 billion yuan in 2015.

While the decline in box-office revenue has been noticeable, the drop in the number of moviegoers is a more pressing issue. Last year, the total number of cinema visits nationwide exceeded 1 billion, marking a more than 40 percent slide from the 1.69 billion visits in 2019.

The film industry is looking forward to a rebound during the upcoming Spring Festival, traditionally a peak season for moviegoing. The Spring Festival season, the most lucrative film period of the year, will open on Jan 29, Chinese New Year's Day. So far, six films, including The Legend of the Condor Heroes: The Great Hero directed by Tsui Hark and Detective Chinatown 1900 directed by Chen Sicheng and Mo Dai, are scheduled to be released that day.

Not only Wanda Film but Bona Film Group has also ramped up promotions for these films through social media and livestreaming events to wean audiences away from alternative entertainment options.

Especially with the rise of short video content, traditional movie audiences have dwindled. Yin Hong, professor at Tsinghua University, told People's Daily that although there has been an increase in middle-aged and elderly audiences, young people born after the 2000s are more attracted to games, short videos and miniseries.

Statistics indicate that the industry is witnessing a sharp drop in young moviegoers. The proportion of viewers under 25 years old, who were once the dominant audience at 39 percent in 2019, plummeted to 21 percent last year, according to data from movie ticketing platform Beacon. Meanwhile, viewers aged 35 and above have become the mainstay of the moviegoing public, now accounting for 33 percent. This shift indicates that the demographic group most expected to enjoy movies is increasingly disengaged from the cinema experience.

Liu Zhengshan from the Beijing Film Academy echoes the need for the industry to adapt to the changing landscape, where short videos and miniseries are gaining ground.

In September, Wanda Film partnered with gaming company HoYoverse for a location-based entertainment tie-up celebrating the four-year anniversary of the fantasy role-playing game Genshin Impact. As part of the activities, select Wanda cinemas were transformed into the game's cosplay zones, with limited-edition merchandise for sale and a live concert of the game's popular soundtrack screened in the cinemas' Imax theaters.

In August last year, Wanda Film launched a project to nurture young talent and streamline the transition from short to feature films, with more than 800 projects and 150 actors participating, according to Chen Zhixi.

"People still love movies," Chen Zhixi says, adding that the symbolic nature of cinemas needs to be redefined and upgraded and films should not be confined to the big screen.

As the film industry adapts to these changes, initiatives like art exhibitions in cinemas represent a strategic effort to attract and retain audiences by offering a richer, more diverse cultural experience.

Chen Zhixi says with Be Loved & Be Rich as a starting point, Wanda Film plans to introduce a series of content ecosystems in their cinemas nationwide, including exhibitions of magical shows, intangible cultural heritage fairs and lifestyle markets.

Along with the exhibition, goods stores have opened in three branches of the Wanda cinema chain in Beijing, Shanghai and Jinjiang, Fujian province. During the Spring Festival period this year, the store will expand to cover the chain's 30 locations nationwide. Currently, the stores offer a wide range of products related to film culture, art collections and quality lifestyle items. Statistics show that the cinema chain owned 905 cinema complexes with 7,546 theaters in China by the end of 2023.

"In the cinemas of the future, people can not only come to watch movies but also visit exhibitions, wander around, make friends and enjoy themselves," Chen Zhixi says.