Most movie theaters advise their audiences to power down cellphones during a movie screening. Chinese theaters, however, are asking their audiences to keep cellphones on and use them to add personal commentary to the film through text messages.
Theaters in major Chinese cities have started testing an on-screen message system called "bullet screens," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Audience members can send text messages that will appear directly on the screen during the movie.
The experiment targets younger moviegoers, with 80 percent of the audience under 24, according to The Nanfang website. These viewers already use the same technology to comment while watching movies and shows on their phones and tablets.
The theaters do censor some messages for sensitive or forbidden words, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Beijing and Shanghai theaters have participated in the test run, as well as theaters in the smaller city of Hangzhou.
"The Legend of Qin," a 3-D animated feature, began playing in 50 theaters earlier this month, with viewers engaged using the "bullet" system. One cinema manager said his theater was 90 percent full and viewers could send their commentary by SMS at 0.1 yuan (10 cents) per message, according to a report in the China Youth Daily.
"People like it right now, as it's a new thing," said Zhang, the manager for the Luxin cinema in Shandong province in northeast China. "In the long term, it might affect people's concentration. We are trying to continue with some bullet screen activities and play some films that young people like. Time will tell."
A film's writer must first authorize the use of the messages when they sign a contract with the producer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "The Legend of Qin" director encouraged the use of the instant feedback during the movie's screening.
"We are exploring how the response from the audience can affect the movie itself," Shen Leping told The Nanfang. "We are, in fact, putting the director and viewer on equal terms, and I think many of the opinions of the viewers are very helpful for filmmakers."
Not all the feedback to the new system has been positive. Non-fans posted their displeasure on social media sites, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"The point of watching a film in the theater is to put away whatever is in your hand and focus on the film. Sometimes, [the bullet screen] blocks the screen," said one dissenter named Riya Sang.
Another dissenter, Jinxi Hexi WY wrote, "When the audience complains during the screening, it interrupts our independent thinking and affects our concentration on the film. I don't like it."
