▲ During New Year’s Day, an organization launched a pilot program in Changsha. Audiences can self-refund their tickets within 30 minutes of the movie’s opening. Picture/Social media screenshot
Can tickets be refunded within 30 minutes of the movie opening? According to Jiupai News, this service was launched as a pilot in Changsha on New Year's Day. Self-service ticket refund machines appeared at the ticket gates of some theaters. The organization that provides this after-sales service for movie viewing is Jianticiao Group.
It is understood that this is a "media ecological operator focusing on ticket checking scenarios." Strictly speaking, it is a service organization on the fringes of the film industry, and whether it has self-marketing remains to be seen. Judging from the statement that "the group is responsible for a full refund and will not affect the normal operation of the theater and box office revenue", the agency's move is most likely a unilateral act and has not received general support from the core industry chain of the film industry.
On social media, some film industry practitioners have expressed opposition to the "refundable ticket if you are not satisfied". The main reasons for the opposition are that it is easy to lead producers and creators to go in the direction of cool movies and short videos; fans are very fierce in contention. This rule may be used to treat ticket refunds as weapons of struggle and theaters as battlefields; some viewers have insufficient reasons for refunds and cannot establish a clear standard.
Watch a movie in its entirety, or should you immediately refund the ticket and stop the loss if you notice something is wrong? Everyone will make different choices based on their own feelings. However, the entertainment and sense of reward brought by watching a movie are valued by everyone. Although refunding the ticket can recover the financial loss, the time and mood invested by the audience are irreparable.
From the perspective of the audience, the "refundable if dissatisfied" service is obviously to protect the rights and interests of consumers. However, after this practice is popularized, will it be as expected by experts and force film producers to improve film quality and theaters to improve service quality? It does require careful consideration. Because this will also involve all aspects of film production, screening, evaluation system, etc., it is a complex process.
But I have to admit that the "refundable if not satisfied" service is a bold attempt. On the one hand, it can enhance the confidence of putting excellent works on the market, and on the other hand, it can also act as a barrier to bad movies. At the same time, it can strengthen the frequency and intensity of interaction between the audience and the work, and find new methods that are beneficial to the market and consumption during the running-in process.
In fact, the most worrying phenomenon of "audiences refunding tickets without reason" has not yet appeared in the pilot, and the refund rate during the New Year's Day period was only 0.5%. This shows that the audience is relatively tolerant of movies and does not take advantage of the refund rules to "make money".
It is a good wish and idea to popularize the "refundable if dissatisfied" service. Now that some organizations have entered the practical stage, it might as well be given some space to explore. If you feel that it is too harmful, just stop it. If you find that it is beneficial, If it far outweighs the disadvantages, it will undoubtedly bring about a shocking industry revolution.
writing / Han Haoyue (media person)
editor / Xu Qiuying
proofread / Jia Ning
