A new script for Chinese cinema
Industry experts believe magic of moviegoing is here to stay despite rise of streaming, micro dramas, and evolving audience habits, Xu Fan reports.


Since smartphones are the primary devices for watching micro-short dramas, most are filmed vertically, sparing audiences from rotating their screens. Reflecting this shift — where more young audiences prefer watching online dramas over spending two hours in a theater — Hengdian World Studios, the country's largest filming base, hosted 1,641 crews that produced vertical-format dramas in the first half of this year, more than seven times the 215 crews that worked on traditional landscape-oriented dramas.
When asked about the competition from short videos and micro-short dramas, director Shen responded, "The film industry has thrived for over a century. Throughout this 100-year journey, cinema has faced multiple waves of challenges, yet it has always retained its unique technical and narrative advantages."
