{"id":2300,"date":"2026-06-23T08:05:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:05:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2300"},"modified":"2026-06-23T08:05:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:05:41","slug":"how-shanghai-is-reinventing-the-movie-theater-to-strengthen-its-position-as-chinas-city-of-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2300","title":{"rendered":"How Shanghai Is Reinventing the Movie Theater to Strengthen Its Position as \u201cChina\u2019s City of Film\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tStep inside Shanghai\u2019s sprawling Xujiahui Metro City mall and you\u2019ll find what was once a struggling cinema has been transformed into the spiritual home for Shanghai\u2019s legion of animation fans.<\/p>\n

Read more Shanghai: Three Things We Learned From the 2026 Festival<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s evidence to be found when, after riding the escalator to the fifth floor, we\u2019re first met by two cosplaying teenagers perfecting their moves while shooting a dance routine for Douyin. On the ground behind them are bags full of anime-themed collectibles \u2014 including some furry little recreations from the hit Chinese animation Nobody<\/em> \u2014 purchased from the scores of toy stores spread out across the complex.<\/p>\n

\n\tLast year the struggling Metro City cinema was transformed into what\u2019s known as the city\u2019s Animation Theme Cinema \u2014 with its programs now only catering to that one genre \u2014 and during the Shanghai International Film Festival, screenings of everything from the recent Indonesian hit Jumbo<\/em> to a 4K version of Ren\u00e9 Laloux\u2019s classic Fantastic Planet<\/em> (1973) were packed, and the toy-shop attendants outside were being kept busy.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWith clear positioning, targeted goals, and well-designed atmosphere and themed events, our target audiences have gathered steadily,\u201d explained Liu Yina, director of the film department at the Shanghai Municipal Film Administration, during a panel at this year\u2019s festival.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSince opening, the Animation Theme Cinema has quickly become an iconic landmark for ACG culture. It has hosted more than 30 large-scale themed events, attracting nearly 1.5 million visitors, and non-ticket revenue including merchandise and themed catering has risen sharply.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tQuite rightly, this home to some 30 million people likes to promote itself as China\u2019s \u201cCity of Film,\u201d and its links to the industry date right back to the country\u2019s first studios, built here around 1909 after an adventurous American impresario named Benjamin Brodsky first brought movie cameras to town. China\u2019s first animated feature film \u2014 1941\u2019s Princess Iron Fan<\/em> \u2014 was shot by Wan Guchan and Wan Laiming in a studio tucked away in Shanghai\u2019s French Concession, just three kilometers from Metro City.<\/p>\n

Read more Diane Warren Pays Tribute to Clive Davis: \u201cWe Lost the Greatest Music Man of All Time Today\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tBut hard times have hit the industry everywhere \u2014 China\u2019s box office is running almost 41 percent behind last year\u2019s pace, according to Artisan Gateway \u2014 and that\u2019s called for innovative thinking.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShanghai\u2019s cinema industry has witnessed two pivotal turning points in its evolution. The first came in 1908 with the opening of the Shanghai Hongkou Grand Theatre, China\u2019s very first cinema,\u201d Liu said. \u201cThe second occurred in 2002, when the Shanghai Gateway Yonghua Cineplex launched, ushering the industry into the digital multiplex era. Today, we are driving a third transformation \u2014 shifting cinemas from mere screening venues into integrated spaces for culture, socializing, and leisure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tGrabbing headlines locally this past week has been the freshly painted and eager-to-please Minhang Huaxia Gumei Sports Theme Cinema \u2014 opened to coincide with the staging of the 2026 FIFA World Cup across North America and broadcasting live games in glorious 4K inside its main 500-seat hall. The claim is that it is the first \u2014 and so far only \u2014 sports-themed cinema in China.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere have been special meals provided due to the often-brutal screening times; there have been souvenir giveaways \u2014 and Liu has been pleased by the reaction among locals.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe believe it will become a one-stop destination for film viewing, exhibitions, and sports,\u201d said Liu. \u201cLooking ahead, we will develop cinemas themed around technology, art, traditional opera, and more, continuously creating new cinema landmarks for Shanghai as a City of Film.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more China Lion Takes Feng Xiaogang\u2019s \u2018I Know Who You Are\u2019 for North America<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cinemas themed around anime and live sports are luring younger crowds as Shanghai works to contend with China’s box-office downturn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[64,2,803],"class_list":["post-2300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-asia","tag-international","tag-shanghai-international-film-festival"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Shanghai Is Reinventing the Movie Theater to Strengthen Its Position as \u201cChina\u2019s City of Film\u201d - US Property Moves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2300\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Shanghai Is Reinventing the Movie Theater to Strengthen Its Position as \u201cChina\u2019s City of Film\u201d - 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