Since the beginning of the year, the film market in China has continued to be popular for watching movies. As of 10:00 pm on the 15th, the box office of 2026 movies has exceeded 1.275 billion yuan, and the film market continues to heat up. According to statistics from online platforms, by 2025, the number of moviegoers in 22 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government in China will reach a new high in nearly a decade, and the proportion of movie box office revenue in lower tier markets will rise to 42% nationwide. 3、 The total box office contribution of fourth tier cities has approached the level of second tier cities, with the annual box office of fourth tier cities reaching 11.89 billion yuan, setting a new record. 3、 Fourth tier and below cities are becoming an important source of box office revenue for Chinese films. The upgrade of cinema hardware stimulates new vitality in local film consumption. Taking Zhoukou City, Henan Province as an example, there are currently about 50 cinemas in Zhoukou City. Each cinema actively upgrades its projection equipment and optimizes its service system, providing a variety of types and sufficient supply of film content to cope with the trend of young people returning home, making "watching movies" a new social standard, and stimulating new vitality in local film consumption. At a cinema in Dancheng County, Zhoukou, a continuous stream of citizens came to watch the movie. This cinema provides one-stop consultation, ticket collection, and movie information inquiry services, which are convenient and efficient. It also has Dolby panoramic sound giant screen hall, 4D dynamic cinema, VIP spacecraft, etc. New and excellent films are released in rotation, attracting many young people who have returned home to come specifically. At the same time, the Zhoukou Dancheng Film Museum has also become a popular check-in spot for audiences waiting. The museum displays film and television broadcasting equipment from different eras, which are open to the public for free. While waiting to watch the film, the audience can also intuitively experience the development of film and television technology. In order to better meet the demand for movie watching, several cinemas in Dancheng County, Zhoukou have been continuously promoting hardware upgrade services in recent years, introducing advanced equipment such as Dolby Atmos and laser projectors, and upgrading and renovating the theater environment. Li Qiankun, manager of a cinema in Dancheng County: After three upgrades and renovations in six years, it now has the richest variety of cinema types in the city, including a 22 meter Dolby panoramic sound giant screen hall, an exclusive 4D dynamic cinema in Zhoukou, and a VIP space cabin lounge chair hall that is only available in first tier cities, which can meet the viewing needs of different groups of people. Through the improvement of hardware and services, the number of viewers has been increasing year by year, and the box office has increased by 10% compared to the same period. Film data analyst Chen Jin: In 2025, the box office performance of movies in third - and fourth tier cities will be very impressive. Its box office share reached a historic high, with a total box office of 21.783 billion yuan. Compared to the same period last year, the box office increased by 28.57%. In terms of cinema construction, 557 cinemas were newly built in third - and fourth tier cities last year, accounting for 52.9% of the total number of newly built cinemas in the country. More noteworthy is that the box office performance of special effects halls in third - and fourth tier cities is equally impressive. Taking IMAX halls as an example, in 2025, the box office of IMAX halls in third - and fourth tier cities will exceed 700 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of up to 85.6%. The "on-demand" mode of public welfare screening ignites grassroots enthusiasm for watching movies. As the hardware facilities and software services of cinemas in third - and fourth tier cities continue to improve, it stimulates new consumption vitality in the film market. At the same time, relevant units are also innovating film screening modes to ignite grassroots enthusiasm for watching movies. In the screening classroom of Jiangxi Xunwu Chengguang Central School, students are watching the movie "Mountains and Rivers as Evidence" with great concentration. The film presents a panoramic view of the arduous process of the Chinese people's 14 year resistance against Japan, and the patriotic and anti Japanese spirit conveyed in it deeply touched every student present. Liu Jianhao, a student from Xinguang Central School in Xunwu County: This movie tells the history of China's War of Resistance Against Japan, which I find particularly shocking. It made me realize that today's peace is hard won, and we should cherish our current life and study hard. Liu Lingli, a student from Xunwu County Chengguang Central School: I think this public welfare activity is very good because we can choose to watch movies we like ourselves, which not only enriches our after-school life but also allows us to learn more knowledge through movies. In addition, several domestic films such as "731" selected by students through voting at the beginning of this month will also be broadcasted on campuses in Xunwu County. Lin Yingchun, a teacher at Xinguang Central School in Xunwu County: Now we can choose from hundreds of movies based on teaching arrangements or children's interests, and show them at least once a week. This way, children can broaden their horizons and learn more, and their acceptance is particularly high. Movies have become a part of our teaching and cultural life. The new experience of students being able to "on-demand" movies stems from the "self screening" mode launched by the "Starlight Dot" public welfare screening project. This mode breaks the limitations of conventional unified screening and gives grassroots greater freedom of choice in terms of screening content, time, and location. At present, about 900 film resources have been connected to online platforms such as the "Zhongying Campus Film and Television Public Welfare Service Platform" for this project. Schools and community screening points can choose film sources according to their own needs and flexibly arrange screening times and venues. Since its launch in July 2022, this public welfare screening project has traveled to 27 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country, with a total of over 3100 screenings and more than 350000 beneficiaries. (New Society)