Maoyan: 84% of China Movie Lovers Agree That Returning to Cinemas in July is Appropriate

BEIJING, Aug. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maoyan Entertainment ("Maoyan" or "the Company") (Hong Kong: 1896), a leading platform providing innovative Internet-empowered entertainment services in China, released their latest market survey revealing that 84% of China's movie lovers believe that it is appropriate to return to cinemas in July, as cinemas across the country have been reopening in an orderly manner.

With the gradual opening of cinemas in China since July 20, Maoyan Research Institute conducted its latest survey at the end of July to learn about the recovery of Chinese movie lovers' offline leisure and entertainment consumption, their willingness to return to cinemas after cinemas reopened, as well as moviegoing experiences in the first week of cinema reopening. 

Key Findings:

• More than half of respondents have already resumed 70% or more of their shopping, dining, travel, moviegoing and performance/exhibition watching activities.
• With the gradual opening of cinemas in China, about 74% of respondents expressed greater eagerness to go to cinemas than they had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• According to the survey, at the end of July about 84% of respondents agree that it is suitable to return to cinemas.
• About 83% of respondents said they were paying attention to news on the cinemas reopening, up from 73% in May and 62% in March.
• Among respondents who went to watch movies in the first week of cinemas reopening, 87% of respondents were satisfied with their very first experience at movie theaters after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Good reputation and a high rating score was the most important factor for moviegoers to choose a movie to watch in the cinema.

Offline leisure and entertainment consumption has been on the recovery

According to the survey, 70% of respondents have already resumed regular work routines at their offices, and 12% were working on rotating shifts or working from home. The remaining 18% have not returned to work, or have lost their jobs.

In terms of offline leisure and entertainment activities, the percentage of respondents who have already resumed 70% or more of their shopping, dining, travel, moviegoing and performance/exhibition watching activities were 84%, 83%, 56%, 54%, and 53%, respectively.

More than 70% of moviegoers expressed eagerness to return to cinemas

With the gradual opening of cinemas in China, about 74% of respondents expressed greater eagerness to go to cinemas than they had prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the survey, about 84% of respondents believed that it is suitable to return to cinemas at the end of July, up from June's 70% and April's 47%.

About 83% of respondents said they were paying attention to news on the cinemas reopening, up from 73% in May and 62% in March. When asked about if there are any cinemas nearby opening, about 88% of respondents said that they were aware of reopened cinemas nearby.

As to the news on upcoming movie releases, the portion of respondents who were paying attention to upcoming movie releases rose to 82% at the end of July, from 77% in May and 55% in March.

Online ticketing channels including Maoyan, Meituan, WeChat, and Taopiaopiao were the main sources for cinema reopening news and information, followed by news and information platforms, cinema apps or WeChat official accounts, and advertisements in shopping malls or cinemas, according to the survey.

(Respondents were instructed to select all options that apply)

87% of moviegoers were satisfied with the resumed moviegoing experience after the COVID-19 pandemic

Among respondents who went to watch movies in the first week of cinemas reopening, 87% of respondents were satisfied with their very first experience at movie theaters after the COVID-19 pandemic. To be specific, over 80% of moviegoers were satisfied with movie quality, cinemas' safety precautions, cinema services and movie schedules.

According to the survey, good reputation and a high rating score (44%), classic movies (38%) and suitable movie schedules (36%) were the most important factors for moviegoers to choose a movie. 

(Respondents were instructed to select all options that apply)

Among respondents who went to cinemas within the first week of cinema reopening, about 40% said they went to cinemas alone, about 30% said that they went together with friends/colleagues/classmates and 12% said they went with their dates.

Since movie tickets can only be reserved online for safety reasons, 93% of moviegoers purchased tickets through ticketing channels including Maoyan, Meituan, WeChat and Taopiaopiao. Over 70% of respondents who went to cinemas said they spent less than RMB30 on a movie ticket.

For those who have not returned to cinemas, the biggest reason was lack of interest in the movies on for screening (45%). Some respondents were also concerned about the hygiene conditions of cinemas and strict prevention measures.

The survey was conducted by Maoyan Research Institute among Maoyan users at the end of July. 1,764 responses were collected for the survey.

About Maoyan Entertainment

Maoyan Entertainment (Hong Kong: 1896) is a leading platform providing innovative Internet-empowered entertainment services in China. Since its inception, Maoyan has grown from an online movie ticketing service provider to an innovative one-stop platform for entertainment services. Maoyan has a comprehensive strategy to become a leading platform servicing the entire entertainment industry in China. The upgraded strategy is supported by five key platform pillars: comprehensive entertainment ticketing platform, products platform, data platform, marketing platform, and financing platform.

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Edmond Lococo
ICR Inc.
Email: edmond.lococo@icrinc.com
Tel: +86 138-1079-1408