China's cinemas enhance experience to stimulate movie-related consumption during National Day holiday

In a bid to stimulate movie-related consumption during the National Day holiday, local governments across China are rolling out subsidies and vouchers, while cinemas are intensifying efforts to improve the experience for movie-goers.

As of 19:03 on Thursday, the box office for the 2024 National Day holiday, including previews and presales, had surpassed 1.2 billion yuan (about 170 million U.S. dollars), according to ticketing platform Dengta.

The National Day holiday, which runs from October 1 to 7, is part of a broader film consumption season promoted by the China Film Administration, which will see over 300-million-yuan worth of subsidies being released to movie-goers from August to October.

In Beijing, 10-million-yuan worth of subsidies will be released during the holiday, and in Shanghai, the promotional efforts will last longer with coupons worth up to 45 million yuan to be issued from October to the end of the year.

As the film market is boosted by consumers coming to cinemas with discounts, the country's cinema operators have been taking the opportunity to enhance the experience of their customers.

"Apart from the festive National Day holiday decorations, we also put other decorations featuring elements selected from the scenes of each film. We hope that they will help give the movie-goers some immersive experiences as they come to watch the films," said Cai Min, manager of a cinema in Beijing.

In south China's island province of Hainan, cinema operators are innovating by adding performance stages and private rooms in cinemas, where customers can enjoy services like concerts and catering alongside movies.

"Nearly 90 percent of our 25 private rooms were booked by the National Day holiday customers. We made the changes because we want to innovate the business model of traditional cinemas, which only offer movie-goers popcorns and a place to watch films. In our cinema, customers can listen to some folksongs before watching the film and they can also enjoy meals and have party while enjoying the films. These help break the physical boundaries of film theaters and make the whole cinema more diversified," said Liu Wei, executive vice president of the Hongshulin Tourism Operation and Management Group.

"In this cinema, apart from watching the movie, I also enjoyed other services like the concerts and catering. I think the business model is great and fashionable," said Liu Mingqi, a movie-goer.

China's cinemas enhance experience to stimulate movie-related consumption during National Day holiday

China's cinemas enhance experience to stimulate movie-related consumption during National Day holiday

China's cinemas enhance experience to stimulate movie-related consumption during National Day holiday

More users of new energy vehicles (NEVs) are hitting the road during this year’s National Day holiday, as an expanded public charging network in China is significantly alleviating range anxiety for drivers.

Since Tuesday, the first day of the week-long holiday, expressways in east China's Jiangsu Province have seen daily traffic exceed 150,000 vehicles, with nearly 10 percent being NEVs. In Taizhou City, a service area reported all 12 charging piles occupied around 14:00 on Wednesday.

"The number of charging piles has doubled, and they are all fast chargers. What's even more reassuring is that the staff are always here to serve us, which really eases my range anxiety," said Meng Haoyang, a NEV driver.

Similar scenes were observed in Anhui Province, where electric vehicles are arriving for charging every ten minutes at a service area equipped with 16 functioning charging piles available around-the-clock.

"It is quite convenient to charge our vehicles here since there are staff providing full service, which reduces our waiting time," said Jiang Hao, another NEV driver.

A famous tourist attraction, the Shimen Village in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province has drawn an increasing number of visitors going on holiday via electric vehicles, thanks to the construction of a new EV charging station.

"It is very convenient. The car is parked outside being charged while we're enjoying our tour around the village. Things can be done simultaneously without delay," said a tourist Wan Qian.

Data from the State Grid's smart vehicle networking platform showed EV charging volume at expressway stations reached a record 15.58 million kilowatt-hours during the first two days of the holiday, up 56 percent from the same period last year.

Local authorities are actively fostering a user-friendly environment to accommodate the surge in EV traffic.

In Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, three mobile charging stations have been added to a service area on the busy Shenyang-Haikou Expressway to resolve drivers' range anxiety and offer more flexible charging options.

"We have prepared mobile charging piles in service areas with large traffic and charging demand for the holiday, guiding drivers to charge in an orderly and fast manner," said Zhu Zhenyuan, a staff member from the State Grid Pinghu Power Supply Company.

The coverage of charging stations has been further expanded across the country.

In Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, charging facilities are available in all service areas and tourist attractions.

In Xiaogan, Hubei Province, 600 villages and rural scenic spots have been equipped with charging stations during this holiday, greatly facilitating tourist trips and family visits for EVs owners.

Expanded charging network boosts NEV use during National Day holiday