Trending in China: New Year's Eve sees Chinese cinemas inundated in "snow storm"

What happened? 

In December, many cinemas added further sensory features to local movie Shining For One Thing by using artificial snow to provide a unique experience for audiences. This contributed to the film becoming the fastest mainland movie to break ¥100 million ($14m) in box office presales.

How it went:

Based on the iconic snowfall scene in the movie, the production team organized a large-scale interactive ceremony. The initiative, unsurprisingly, gained traction on social media, leading many cinemas to emulate the production team's initiative. The experience did have some detractors however, with some moviegoers expressing disappointment after watching the film, as the artificial snowflakes were scattered everywhere preventing them from experiencing the expected romantic atmosphere. Additionally, it made them feel damp which ‘affected their viewing pleasure’.

Why it was successful: 

The production team and cinemas seized the opportunity to tap into the desire of some young people for a sense of ceremony during New Year's Eve. At the same time, offering special screenings with low raw material costs proved to profitable for the cinemas.

Chinese cinemas covered audiences with snow at the special screenings of Shining For One Thing. Video Source: @小江同学53 from Bilibili