A Buyer's Guide to China Cinema Ad Formats: Pre-Show, Premium Placement, Branded Screenings and Integrated Cinema

Cinema advertising in China isn't a single product. Four formats cover four different jobs, from broad national reach to a fully branded audience experience — and picking the right one starts with the objective, not the inventory.

Network Pre-Show: broad reach, scalable awareness

The widest-coverage format, built for brands prioritizing national reach over concentrated impact in a handful of venues. This is typically where a market-entry campaign starts.

Premium Placement: the final five minutes

BBT's signature format is positioned in the final five minutes before the feature — after the earlier pre-show window, when audiences are still arriving and settling in and attention is divided. By the final five minutes, the room is dark, seats are filled, and focus has consolidated onto one screen. Closer to the feature means closer to full attention.

Branded Screenings: live, shared, custom experiences

Closer to an event than an ad: a screening built around a brand, a launch, or an audience segment, with the shared-room effect of cinema doing double duty as both media and experience.

Integrated Cinema: beyond the screen

Extends the brand across the venue — lobby displays and standees, branded concessions (popcorn tubs, cups, counter displays), and live activation — creating repeated touchpoints across a single cinema visit rather than one moment on screen.

Matching format to objective

As a general starting point: International Brand Entry pairs well with Network Pre-Show plus premium city and cinema selection. Entertainment & Culture campaigns pair with film alignment and concentrated Premium Placement. Experiential campaigns pair with Integrated Cinema plus branded screening activation. Exact selection is always confirmed together during campaign planning.

Above Communication is the exclusive international access point to this network outside mainland China. Book a discovery call to plan your first campaign.