Promotional campaign launched in Beijing to boost film economy growth in 2026

A promotional campaign to boost the growth of China's movie industry in 2026 was launched in Beijing on Thursday, featuring a wide range of cinema-related promotional events and discount schemes.

The campaign, initiated by the National Film Administration and China Media Group (CMG) in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, aims to grow the cultural appeal of Chinese cinema to boost box office and other movie-related revenues.

Shen Haixiong, deputy head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of CMG, together with Vice Minister of Commerce Yan Dong, launched the event.

According to incomplete statistics, the total output value of China's film industry chain exceeded 810 billion yuan (about 117.17 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, indicating that the film sector is an increasingly important economic contributor to different industries, including tourism and hospitality.

The campaign will encourage towns and cities across China to stage distinctive film promotion activities and expand interest in movies.

Major partners of the initiative have committed to providing at least 1.2 billion yuan in an effort to draw larger audiences into cinemas.

Several film distribution companies, along with Henan Broadcasting and Television Station, announced a growth plan for LED movie screens and virtual reality theaters in 2026, aiming to stimulate growth by introducing innovative viewing experiences.

The China Film Science and Technology Research Institute and Huaxia Film Distribution Co., Ltd. jointly initiated the establishment of a national film digital asset platform to facilitate the overall upgrading of the film industry chain. A pilot list of 16 cities was announced for developing "film+" consumption initiative over the next three years.

Promotional campaign launched in Beijing to boost film economy growth in 2026

Returning to a full-scale war would have catastrophic consequences, a UN spokesman said at a press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday. Recent tensions over the Strait of Hormuz have exposed the deep divisions between the United States and Iran, further heightening uncertainty over their fragile ceasefire.

In response to a media query regarding the claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that the weeks-long ceasefire with Iran is on "massive life support," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, stressed the need for concerted efforts to stay committed to negotiations.

He said that the United Nations will not be swayed by the rhetoric of the parties involved in the U.S.-Iran negotiations, and its core objective is to push all parties to remain committed to negotiations.

"We have tried over the years in all of our diplomatic efforts not to listen too much to the rhetoric by any particular side involved in negotiations. What we want to do is make sure that the parties themselves remain committed to negotiations. Certainly, we appreciate the role that Pakistan has been playing as a mediator, and we want the efforts to continue. A return to full-scale fighting would be, as the Secretary-General has repeatedly said, catastrophic," he said. Both U.S. and Iranian forces have fired shots at each other in the Strait of Hormuz since the ceasefire took effect earlier last month.

Returning to full-scale US-Iran war would be "catastrophic": UN official