Chinese film's artificial 'snow scenes' in cinemas spark concerns

Videos and photos of artificial snow scenes in Chinese theatres have gone viral online and have drawn mixed reactions from netizens, with some describing this as a poorly executed marketing stunt of a recently released Chinese film.

This comes as the Chinese film Shining For One Thing (一閃一閃亮星星) recreated a romantic snowing scene from its storyline by launching a limited-edition "snowfall session" (下雪場) during the New Year's Day holiday, aiming to provide an immersive experience for audiences. The producers picked 1,314 cinemas across the country to host screenings of this "snow scene" version of the film, according to Global Times. 

The artificial snow effect implemented on-site resembled foam, and certain theatres encountered challenges in executing the drifting snow effect, resulting in some viewers getting sprayed with fake snow all over their bodies. 

While the incident smelled suspiciously like a marketing stunt, netizens took to Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, Xiaohongshu and Douyin, to discuss their experiences, with some jokingly questioning if the audience had been caught in an avalanche, while others expressed concerns about the difficulties cleaning staff might face in removing the artificial snow, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw. 

Media intelligence firm CARMA saw over 200 mentions from netizens in Hong Kong related to this incident, primarily on forums. Out of these mentions, approximately 15.7% were negative, while 11.8% were positive.

Among these mentions, there was a significant number of sarcastic comments from netizens who referred to the incident as an immersive experience, said CARMA's HK general manager Charles Cheung.

"Many netizens shared photo and video footage of the incident on social media platforms. They also noted that the incident had generated an unexpectedly high level of discussion, which they viewed as beneficial for marketing purposes. Additionally, some netizens expressed concerns about the artificial snow being a potential hazard that could cause fires," he added.

Meanwhile, social monitoring firm Meltwater saw over 23.1k mentions across Chinese social platforms over the past weekend, with 51.2% positive, 42.9% neutral and 5.9% negative sentiments.

Keywords associated with the incident include "Shining For One Thing", "New Year's Eve", "ceremony", "story" and "regret", amongst others.

According to HK01, the initial plan for the "snowfall session" involved the use of single-use snow cans in movie theatres. However, the deployment of these cans was halted due to safety concerns regarding their flammability and explosiveness. Consequently, many theatres took it upon themselves to install snowmaking machines at their own expense.

Additionally, some theatres used artificial snow spray cans and snowmaking machines to create the desired snow effect. Unfortunately, the falling snow transformed into an unintended avalanche effect due to technical issues, turning the romantic atmosphere into an embarrassing situation.

This is not the first time Chinese movie theatres launching unique experiences as their marketing strategies. Back in October last year, a cinema in Chengdu featured an exclusive dining area where moviegoers could have hot pot directly from their theatre seats and enhance their overall cinematic experience.

Photo courtesy: Weibo

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