Maoyan: China Movie Lovers Express Pent-Up Demand for Return to Cinemas When Coronavirus Outbreak Ends

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Mar 18, 2020, 03:55 ET

BEIJING, March 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maoyan Entertainment ("Maoyan" or "the Company") (Hong Kong: 1896), a leading platform providing innovative Internet-empowered entertainment services in China, today released details of a survey revealing the pent-up demand among China's movie lovers for the experience of a theatrical release after months of being cooped up in their own homes and apartments to stem the spread of the Coronavirus.

More than half of movie lovers in China expressed greater eagerness to go to the cinema when the virus outbreak ends than they had prior to the outbreak, according to the survey Maoyan Research Institute conducted among movie lovers in February. The survey sheds light on their entertainment behavior during the epidemic, as well as their willingness to return to movie theaters after the epidemic.

Key Findings:

About 97% of respondents watched movies at home through online streaming platforms from January 21 to February 20. On average, each respondent watched seven movies during the period.
Going back to cinemas was among top entertainment choices after the epidemic.
More than half of movie lovers were more inclined to go to cinemas after the epidemic than they were before it.
Comedy, sci-fi, action, and suspense movies were among the most-wanted movie genres after the pandemic ends.

Watching movies online was a major entertainment during the epidemic

According to the survey, 97% of respondents watched movies at home through online streaming platforms from January 21 to February 20. On average, each respondent watched seven movies during the period, which means each respondent watched one movie every four days.

About 81% of respondents watched movies through platforms operated by Baidu, Tencent, or Alibaba (iQiyi, Tencent Video and Youku), and 44% chose ByteDance platforms, including TikTok, Xigua Video, and Toutiao.

One of the most-watched movies during the epidemic was the Chinese comedy "Lost in Russia", which became the first Chinese movie released online after its theatrical release was canceled. Disaster movies, such as "The Flu", "Contagion" and "The Captain", and Oscar-winning films including "Parasite", "1917", and "Joker", were also widely searched and watched.

Going to cinemas is among top entertainment choices after the epidemic

Based on the survey, nearly 70% of the respondents chose eating out with friends and going to cinemas as the top entertainment options after the epidemic ends.

Entertainment options after the epidemic	Percentage
Eating out with friends	69%
Going to cinemas	68%
Shopping	36%
Travel	30%
Work out/Exercise	25%
KTV	11%
Going to theme parks	6%
Playing board games	3%
Others	1%

Over half of the moviegoers were more inclined to go to cinemas after the epidemic, while a small percentage of respondents' willingness for moviegoing decreased with the concern over the hygiene condition in cinemas.

Willingness to go to cinemas after the epidemic	Percentage
Much more eager to go to cinemas	27%
More willing to go to cinemas	27%
No change in willingness	33%
Decreased willingness	10%
Don't want to go to cinemas at all	3%

When asked about when they plan to return to cinemas, 30% of respondents said they would like to go to cinemas as soon as they reopen, while another 33% said they would rather wait till the official announcement on complete containment of COVID-19 outbreak.

Time of returning to cinemas	Percentage
Return as soon as cinemas reopen	30%
After others go first	3%
When more people go to cinemas	5%
After the official announcement on complete containment of COVID-19 outbreak	33%
Wait for a while after the official announcement on complete containment of COVID-19 outbreak.	29%

About 26% of respondents would like to go to cinemas with friends/colleagues/classmates, indicating that socializing is the primary demand after the epidemic ends.

With whom are you going to cinemas?	Percentage
Friends/colleagues/classmates	26%
Boyfriend/girlfriend	22%
Spouse	21%
Going alone	20%
Children	5%
Parents	4%
Other family members	1%

According to the survey, comedy, sci-fi, action, and suspense movies were among the most-wanted movie genres after the pandemic ends.

Most-wanted movie genre to watch after the Coronavirus outbreak	Percentage
Comedy	26%
Sci-fi	12%
Action movie	11%
Suspense movie	10%
Drama	7%
Romance movie	6%
Disaster movie	5%
Fantasy	4%

With concerns about the safety and hygiene conditions of cinemas, respondents gave their suggestions for cinema to be well prepared for the reopening.

Suggestions for cinemas reopening
1	Comprehensive disinfection of cinemas and all facilities
2	Reinforcing hygiene management and checking safety conditions frequently
3	Ensuring air purification and ventilation in cinemas
4	Reducing seating capacity, and keeping distance between audience (i.e. selling tickets in alternate seats)
5	Offering discounts after cinemas reopen
6	Temperature checking for all audience at the entrance
7	Providing infection prevention essentials (mask and hand sanitizer)
8	Providing a comfortable environment with good visual and sound effect

Maoyan Research Institute will conduct a series of market surveys to gauge the impact of the coronavirus outbreak on China's entertainment market.

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: [email protected]
Tel: +86 (10) 6583 7514

SOURCE Maoyan Entertainment