New trends

The increased use of advanced screenings to market some of the most successful blockbusters emerged as a new trend this summer, being employed on a larger scale than in previous years, researchers said.

Previously, it was commonplace for major cities to be chosen for such screenings about a week before a film's official release.

This practice was aimed at inviting critics, cinema managers and media representatives to a sneak preview of the movie and to share their views.

Zhi Feina, a professor at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, said the practice was being used to a greater extent this year as a major promotional method to boost advanced ticket sales.

On July 2, six days before its general release, advanced screenings were staged in 342 cities for the 168-minute-long animated movie Chang An, helping the film gross about 25 million yuan at the presale box office and propelling it to become this year's highest-grossing animated film to date in terms of presale figures.

After the benefits of advanced screenings became evident, use of this marketing strategy was maximized for films such as Never Say Never and No More Bets.

Advanced screenings of Never Say Never were staged in three rounds nationwide, spanning 10 days and resulting in earnings of 420 million yuan from 10 million admissions before the film's official release on July 6. Early last month, No More Bets earned more than 500 million yuan from its three-day advanced screening period, setting a record as the highest-grossing Chinese film in terms of such screenings.

Zhi said these screenings could help new movies attract more online attention, but there is also the possibility of a negative impact if a story falls short of expectations.