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Maoyan Survey Finds Portion of China Movie Lovers Eager for Return to Cinemas Rose to 72%

2020-04-14 13:05 6355

BEIJING, April 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maoyan Entertainment ("Maoyan" or "the Company") (Hong Kong: 1896), a leading platform providing innovative Internet-empowered entertainment services in China, and China Film Association jointly released a new market survey, which found that the portion of China's movie lovers eager to return to cinemas when they reopen following the containment of the COVID-19 pandemic has risen to 72% over the past month.

The latest survey was conducted by China Film Association and Maoyan Research Institute at the end of March to learn the impact of the pandemic on people's lives, their willingness to return to movie theaters after reopening, and key factors that would drive movie lovers to go back to cinemas. The portion of movie lovers keen to return to cinemas marked an expansion from about 54% in the February survey.

Key Findings:

  • About 72% of respondents were eager to return to cinemas after they reopen, up from 54% in February.
  • About 66% of respondents have resumed normal work routines at their offices, while 26% were working on rotating shifts or working from home.
  • About 33% of respondents expected a significant income decline in 2020 caused by COVID-19.
  • About 62% of respondents said they were paying attention to news on the reopening of cinemas in the country, and 55% said they were interested in learning about upcoming movie releases.
  • Implementing strict precautionary measures, ticket discounts, and the quality of new movies were identified as key factors that will attract the audience back to cinemas.

Impact of the pandemic

According to the survey, 66% of respondents have already resumed normal work routines at their offices, and 26% were working on rotating shifts or working from home. The remaining 8% have not returned to work, or have lost their jobs.

In terms of offline leisure and entertainment activities, about 61% of respondents said they have already resumed 70% or more of their normal shopping activities, while 47% said they have resumed 70% or more of their dining and eating-out activities.

The resumption rate of offline leisure and entertainment activities

Percentage of total respondents

Shopping

Dining

Travel

70% or above

61%

47%

27%

Between 40% and 60%

30%

33%

37%

30% or under

9%

20%

34%

About 65% of respondents expected their income to decline in 2020, including about 33% expected a significant income decline this year caused by COVID-19.

Income expectations in 2020

Percentage

Significant decline

33%

Slight decline

32%

No change

23%

Slight increase

7%

Significant increase

5%

Due to the expectation of reduced income, most respondents were becoming more cautious about leisure and entertainment spending this year. The percentage of respondents who expected a significant spending cut in their dining, movie going, and travel activities were 26%, 33%, and 35%, respectively.

Expected leisure and entertainment spending in 2020


Dining

Moviegoing

Travel

Significant decline

26%

33%

35%

Slight decline

33%

26%

25%

No change

25%

22%

26%

Slight increase

12%

11%

8%

Significant increase

5%

7%

6%

Willingness to return to cinemas

Based on the March survey, respondents watched six movies on average at home through online streaming platforms, one less than in February. About 73% of respondents said they had experience of paying for watching movies online.

Paid for movies watched online

Percentage

Yes

73%

Not sure/Don't remember

5%

No

22%

About 72% of respondents were willing to return to cinemas after they reopen, the survey found.

Willingness to go to cinemas

Percentage

Much more eager to go to cinemas

34%

Eager to go to cinemas

38%

Neutral

18%

Not that eager to go to cinemas

7%

No intention at all

3%

About 62% of respondents said they were paying attention to news on the reopening of cinemas in the country, and 55% said they were interested in learning about upcoming movie releases.

News on cinema reopening

Percentage

Pay close attention

25%

Pay attention

37%

Neutral

26%

Do not pay attention

9%

Not interested

3%

 

News on upcoming movie releases

Percentage

Pay close attention

24%

Pay attention

31%

Neutral

30%

Do not pay attention

12%

Not interested

3%

Key factors to attract the audience back to cinemas

After cinemas reopen, nearly 60% of respondents said that strict precautionary measures in movie theaters would be the primary factor for them to return to cinemas, followed by ticket discounts offered (58%), and the quality of new movie releases (40%).

Factors in consideration for returning to cinemas 

Percentage

Strict precautionary measures (temperature checking and real name registration)

59%

Ticket Discounts

58%

Quality of new movies released

40%

Limitation on available capacity

24%

Movie schedule

21%

Wait to see how other people react

18%

Auditorium size

16%

Others

4%

When asked about their preferred movie ticket price, over 80% of respondents preferred ticket prices under RMB30. According to the survey, most respondents believed that movie theaters should limit ticket sales and keep their capacity under 40% after they reopen.

Preferred movie ticket price (RMB)

Percentage

Less than 10

11%

From 11 to 20

33%

From 21 to 30

38%

From 31 to 40

15%

More than 40

3%

As to what types of movies they would definitely go to watch after cinemas reopen, 55% of respondents chose new movies with positive word-of-mouth.

Must-watch movies after cinemas reopen

Percentage

New movies with positive word-of-mouth

55%

New movies

30%

Classic domestic movies

19%

Classic foreign movies

17%

 "The Wandering Earth", "Wolf Warrior 2" and "Better Days" were the top classic domestic movies preferred by respondents. "The Avengers" series, "Léon: The Professional" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" were most-wanted classic foreign movies.

The survey was conducted at the end of March. Users who purchased movie tickets on Maoyan's platform were targeted and 1,530 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: online ticketing platform, products and services platform, data platform, marketing platform, and funding platform.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Jeff Pei
ICR Inc.
Email: Jianfeng.Pei@icrinc.com
Tel: +86 (10) 6583 7514

Source: Maoyan Entertainment
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