Chao News Client Reporter Lu Fang
2023 is the year for the Chinese film market to regain its strength, and it is also a critical year for theaters to get back on track.
On January 4, 2024, reporters learned that Zhejiang Times Cinema had worked hard to practice its internal skills for three years during the epidemic, and finally achieved outstanding results in 2023.
Zhejiang Film Times Cinema·Xihu Cultural Plaza Store (hereinafter referred to as "Xiguang Store"), a subsidiary of this cinema chain, regained the first place in the province's annual box office after 8 years, becoming the only theater in Zhejiang Province with a box office exceeding 30 million . In addition, the cinema franchise business of this cinema chain has reached a new record high on the basis of maintaining rapid development in the previous two years. The number of franchise cinemas opened throughout the year was 100, ranking first among cinema chains in the country.
As a long-established cinema chain, it is not easy for Zhejiang Times Cinemas to achieve such results in 2023 amid fierce competition in the resumption of the Chinese film industry.
On that day, the reporter had an exclusive interview with Sun Deshun, a member of the Party Committee of Zhijiang Film Group Co., Ltd. and chairman and general manager of Zhejiang Times Cinema Line Co., Ltd., and listened to him talk about what Times Cinema Line has done in the past year. s hard work.
1] "Xiguang Store" receives 30 road shows a year and nearly a hundred celebrities
On January 7, the hit "Annual Meeting Can't Stop!" "Starring Dapeng and others are coming to the "Xiguang Store" road show. A week before, Zhejiang Film Times Film Management headquarters and store teams have made careful plans in advance.
Last year, as the flagship store of Zhejiang Film Times Cinema, the "Xiguang Store" hosted more than 30 film crew road shows, including 13 in the second half of the year alone, involving nearly a hundred stars.
The summer box office champion "All or Nothing" is directed by the director, producer Ning Hao, starring Wang Dalu, Sun Yang, etc., and the hard-to-find "Fengshen Part 1" is directed by Wu Ershan, starring Fei Xiang, Huang Xiyan, Shan Jingyao, etc. As well as the recent international major director Luc Besson, the director of "The Dog God" and the starring Cannes best actor Caleb Landry Jones, etc., they all came to this theater to meet and communicate with the audience.
In addition, the "Xiguang store" also held various movie viewing activities such as "Slam Dunk Farewell Show", "Taylor Swift New Year's Eve Dance Show", "Dog Movie Watch Charity Show" to increase the promotion of the film, which greatly increased its popularity. Help the theater's box office exceed 30 million in 2023.
Regarding the rebirth of "Xiguang Store", Sun Deshun said, "'Xiguang' is the original 'Xinyuan'. It was once the theater with the highest box office in Hangzhou and even the province. In the second half of 2022, an overall renovation and upgrade was carried out. Positioned as the flagship cinema of the theater chain, the goal is to create greater glory and regain the first place in the province."
"This theater was one of the first two theaters in Hangzhou to introduce imax screens. We think we will lead the trend this time. So we spent a lot of money to introduce the only laser imax screen in Hangzhou. Facts have proved that today's audiences are more and more particular about audio-visual effects. This laser imax screen has become a "treasure of the store" and has not only become the first choice for movie fans. , even the producers of the road show value it very much."
In addition to hardware, Sun Deshun told reporters that the "Xiguang Store" management team is a capable force selected by Times Cinemas, and is directly guided by the headquarters for daily operations. The strongest lineup team is for Make this cinema the strongest in the province.
When talking about management, Sun Deshun said that Times Cinema has made a lot of explorations in digital transformation in the three years since the epidemic, and has achieved initial results.
"As early as 2020, we have laid out the data center. After several years of iterative upgrades, we can now conduct scientific analysis of theater operating data, accurately judge audience needs, amplify comparative advantages, implement accurate film scheduling, scientific pricing, and improve theaters. Attendance rate."
He said that digital management can not only guide all directly operated theaters of the theater chain, but also empower franchise theaters to achieve digital transformation.
In addition, last year, the "Xiguang Store" also made a lot of attempts to diversify its operations, introducing "Magic Show", "Ultraman Theater", "Quartet Concert", "LOL League of Legends S13 Event Broadcast", etc. Venue events.
Sun Deshun said that diversified operations are also to get rid of over-reliance on box office, especially during the off-season of the movie market: "We have opened a self-operated candy house on the first floor of the 'Xiguang store' and a VR immersive experience hall on the third floor. It has been launched for a long time, and a movie-themed book bar is planned to be opened on the 5th floor in the near future. The 'Zhijiang Chao Party Building Base' has also been built on the 6th floor to express and conserve red culture with light and shadow. Since its opening, it has served hundreds of enterprises and institutions, and visited The number of visitors has exceeded 3,000. While achieving good social benefits, it has also achieved dual integration and joint promotion of party building business."
2] 100 cinemas were franchised in a year, ranking first in the national cinema chain.
Last year, the cinema franchise business of Times Cinemas was in On the basis of maintaining rapid development in the past two years, it has reached a new record high, with 100 franchised theaters opening throughout the year, ranking first in the national theater chain.
Speaking of this achievement, Sun Deshun said that it depends on the efforts of all employees of the theater chain.
"The franchise business of Times Cinemas has been very good, with 80 in 2022 and 100 in 2023. Our teams are distributed across the country, from helping investors select sites, to cinema construction, to opening preparations, and guiding daily operations, etc. Providing one-stop service has already formed a reputation in the industry."
He said that in the future, they will build Times Cinemas into an empowering platform to help franchised theaters conduct refined management and improve box office competitiveness.
Sun Deshun gave an example. "Zhejiang Film Times" joined Douyin in May last year. It currently has 12,000 fans and converted box office sales of up to 14 million.
"Different from the two major ticketing platforms, Maoyan and Taopiaopiao, we have settled in Douyin and cultivated our own anchors. The fans are the theater's own. These users are very accurate and enthusiastic about buying tickets. Operating Douyin is equivalent to starting a new business Start the theater membership business."
He said that the current high box office conversion rate of theaters on Douyin has attracted the attention of peers, and many have expressed their desire to cooperate.
3] In 2024, the scale of direct-operated stores will be expanded to create a multicultural space for cinemas.
2024 has arrived. The reporter asked Sun Deshun to talk about the new plans for the theater chain in the new year.
He said that 2024 can be foreseen to be a year of accelerated change and uncertainty in the domestic film market, especially the market reshuffle brought about by the film branch distribution reform, which needs to be dealt with with focus.
As an important state-owned film company in Zhejiang Province and the leading cinema chain in the province, Times Cinemas will continue to focus on quality improvement and expansion in 2024.
will first expand the scale of directly-operated theaters, optimize franchise services, try to integrate small and medium-sized theater chains, expand the basic base, and increase the market share of theater chains.
Secondly, it is necessary to further improve theater management capabilities, create a technology-driven smart theater management platform, and provide digital and standardized theater operation and management services for its theaters.
Once again, we must seize new trends in the industry to explore new formats, innovate cinema business models, build a local digital entertainment cultural life service space, integrate multiple entertainment formats, improve cinema entertainment and social performance levels, and attract more consumers to cinemas.
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