This cartoon, released on Thursday, March 1, 2012, depicts a film screen with Chinese characters "the discount for film tickets no more than 30 percent" on it. [Photo: China Youth Daily]
A draft guideline issued by China's broadcasting regulator over the maximum discount for movie tickets has led to dissatisfaction from internet users, China Youth Daily reports.
The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT), China's broadcasting regulator, recently said in a draft guideline that the discount for cinema's membership or group tickets should be no more than 30 percent.
A survey conducted by the forum at Xinhuanet.com showed that 98.6 percent disapprove of this proposal with a massive 1,258 voters. Most internet users believe that a 30 percent discounts will still leave the price too high.
One netizen said that for those with income around 2000-3000 yuan a month, the price after the discount will still be around 50 to 60 yuan, 2 percent of their monthly income, and the netizen went on to state that it is 0.2 percent in America.
Another internet user stated that SARFT's price regulations go in the wrong direction. He said it should control cinemas' overall growing ticket prices.
Others simply don't see the point of SARFT's max discounts as price increases will hurt the theaters, and such price regulations will ultimately hinder the development of China's film industry.
Another survey from Weibo.com showed that more than half of 11,276 microbloggers believe film tickets should be less than 30 yuan, and only one third think 30 to 60 is acceptable.
The maximum discount will not be applied to cinemas' half-price periods. Filmgoers can still enjoy half price every Tuesday or weekday morning.