Premium Cinema Formats Drive Growth in China
AI-generated context summary requested by a Free News Reader user. Sourced via Gemini from publicly available information — no paywalled content was accessed.
You hit a paywall. Here’s the context on this topic based on publicly available information. We did not access any paywalled content. View original article.
Premium Cinema Formats Drive Growth in China
- Premium cinema formats in China experienced a 16% growth during the summer of 2026, while regular auditoriums saw flat attendance.
- Daniel Manwaring, CEO of IMAX China, appointed to the role effective January 9, 2023, noted that audiences are increasingly seeking quality in both content and format.
Full Summary — powered by AI
China’s premium cinema formats saw significant growth in the summer of 2026, with an increase of 16% in box office revenue, as moviegoers prioritize high-quality experiences. In contrast, regular cinema auditoriums did not experience similar growth. Daniel Manwaring, who became CEO of IMAX China on January 9, 2023, highlighted this trend, indicating a shift in consumer preferences towards premium formats.
IMAX, a prominent player in the premium format market, captured a 5.9% market share, translating to nearly 10 million admissions, despite operating on less than 1% of the total screens in China. This demonstrates the significant impact and appeal of premium experiences. The overall summer movie season in China, running from June 1 to August 31, 2026, concluded with a box office revenue of 12.498 billion yuan (approximately $1.85 billion), marking a 4.45% year-on-year increase. Cinema attendance also rose by 5.86%, reaching 340 million, with a record high of 38.51 million screenings.
The increasing willingness of audiences to pay for enhanced audiovisual experiences is evident in these figures. For example, IMAX box office revenue during the summer season reached 745 million yuan, a 40% increase year-on-year. Specific films like “The Odyssey” generated 328 million yuan in IMAX box office revenue, and “Spider-Man” earned nearly 200 million yuan in the format. This trend suggests that “event films” and character-driven stories that offer strong emotional attachment are performing particularly well in premium formats.