Screening Venues for the 27th SIFF Announced
The 27th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) will be held from June 13 to 22. On May 26, the festival organized a mobilization meeting and safety service technical training session for designated screening theaters, during which a lineup of 48 screening venues was announced. The list covers 43 theaters across Shanghai (including all five new urban areas) and 5 theaters in 5 cities across the Yangtze River Delta region. This year, SIFF will actively expand its theater screening network model, transforming ticket-based economics from single purchases to chained experiences, thereby promoting deeper integration of cultural, tourism, commercial, sports and screening sectors.
Technical Upgrades at Screening Theaters to Enhance Immersive Experience among Audience
In February of this year, SIFF, in collaboration with the Shanghai Film Distribution and Screening Association , launched a recruitment drive for screening theaters, with a total of 117 cinemas registered. To further elevate the influence of this year’s Film Panorama, promote the integration of cultural, tourism, commercial, sports and screening sectors, and boost “ticket-based economics”, the selection process comprehensively considered applicants’ hardware facilities, geographical location, service quality, and surrounding business ecosystem. The final list of screening venues for this year has now been released.
This year’s festival welcomes four new screening venues: Nine Trees Future Art Center, BAIYING CINKER PICTURES, Shanghai HOYTS Cinema (Jiuguang Center Store), and BESTAR Cinema (Shanghai Baoshan Sunshine City Branch). Notably, the inclusion of Fengxian District’s Nine Trees Future Art Center - home to Shanghai’s second-largest screening room - means the festival now features an additional thousand-seat screening venue, joining the existing mega-theaters at Shanghai Film Art Center and the Grand Theater.
Additionally, the veteran SFC Shangying-Bailian Cinema(Babaiban) makes a welcome return, while JUCE Shanghai Centre Theatre and Huangpu Theatre - the historic site where China’s national anthem was first performed - have both undergone comprehensive 4K projection upgrades, promising audiences enhanced convenience and more breathtaking audiovisual experiences.
BAIYING CINKER PICTURES, previously known for innovating the “film + dining” concept, joins the festival’s screening network for the first time this year. During the event, two specially curated SIFF cocktails (alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions) will be served, offering cinephiles a delightful collision of visual and gustatory pleasures.
Yangtze River Delta moviegoers can once again enjoy the cinematic feast locally. During the Yangtze River Delta screenings from June 20 to June 27, the latest acclaimed works from filmmakers across Belt and Road countries and beyond will be showcased simultaneously in five premium auditoriums across five cinemas in Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Ningbo and Hefei.
The festival will announce its screening schedule on June 3. Ticket sales for Shanghai venues will commence at 12:00 noon on June 5 via Damai and Taopiaopiao platforms, with offline ticketing at all screening theaters starting two hours after online sales begin. Yangtze River Delta screenings will go on sale at 12:00 noon on June 6 through the same platforms.
Tiny Ticket Stubs Become Key to Integrated Cultural-Tourism-Commerce Development
This year’s festival actively expands its theater screening network model, proactively integrates multi-dimensional resources across culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and screenings, and innovatively creates diversified film-viewing experiences. Through movie ticket stubs, the festival will comprehensively promote deep integration across these sectors.
Innovative measures stimulate public consumption demand. Most screening theaters in commercial districts will collaborate with catering merchants in their complexes. For example, The Grand Theater and Tianshan Cinema-Hongqiao Art Center Flagship Store will launch specially curated or co-branded drinks, while theaters like PRIMIERE CINEMA (Jing An Kerry Center) will jointly offer limited-edition dishes with nearby restaurants. The SFC Shangying Cinema, Shanghai HOYTS Cinema, Wanda International Cinema, and JUCE Shanghai Centre Theatre will provide discounts for diners who present movie tickets at catering merchants. Venues like Nine Trees Future Art Center and Jiading Cinema will introduce local delicacies to create food markets. Meituan and Dianping will also release a “See Movies · Savor Shanghai” food map tied to the festival films and, for the first time, offer “film-hopping meal sets” for SIFF fans.
The festival’s cultural and creative products unlock dual value in both art and commerce. This year, the highly popular SIFF merchandise will launch a series of tribute-themed products dedicated to “Honoring Masters”. In addition to online sales, more screening venues will offer offline purchases. Movie ticket stubs also come with interactive perks. At standalone cinemas like the PALACE CINEMA and SFC Shangying Cinema, stubs can be exchanged for exclusive collectibles such as custom-made badges and transparent cards. CaoYang Cinema introduces retro-style replica stubs from the 1970s, evoking nostalgic cinematic memories for Shanghainese audiences. Meanwhile, the Peace Cinema collaborates with a fragrance brand to offer limited-edition gifts, enhancing the added value of consumption.
“Film + Tourism” drives new industry synergies. Screening theaters are offering ticket holders exclusive benefits such as discounted hotel stays, accommodation welcome packages, and partner attraction deals. Jiading Cinema and other venues have teamed up with nearby tourist spots to launch stamp-collection activities for visitors to redeem prizes, while Tianshan Cinema-Hongqiao Art Center Flagship Store has introduced an “OK Map” for exploring and checking in at local hotspots. Additionally, most theaters provide luggage storage services for out-of-town film fans who arrive with suitcases.
Expanded consumer scenarios elevate cultural experiences. Shanghai Film Art Center will collaborate with LOHAS Dance Studio (Shanghai Film Branch) to offer discounts and free trial classes, while SFC Shangying-Bailian Cinema(Babaiban) will provide gym discounts at Babaiban for ticket holders. Additionally, moviegoers with tickets from The Grand Theater can visit the “120 Years of Chinese Cinema & The Hudec Code” exhibition, and audiences at HuangPu Theatre gain free admission to “Sound the Advance Call” - a special exhibition commemorating the 90th anniversary of “March of the Volunteers”. Meanwhile, Lingang Performing Arts Center will hold a lucky draw for discounted performance tickets.
These small ticket stubs not only capture the joys and sorrows of the stories on screen, but also hide “Easter eggs” that unveil the soul of a city built on cinema. They weave together the tourism, retail, sports, and screening industries, driving the growth of a multi-dimensional film-watching ecosystem. Moreover, they may well become the key to decoding a city’s cultural industry evolution.
Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism
