由 Zhao Zheng In the first half of 2025, China added 3,352 new cinema screens. Over 30 of these were LED cinema screens, pushing their penetration rate to 1.3%, a 0.4 percentage point increase from 2024. For context, this rate was just 0.1% in 2023.
Key players driving the adoption of LED cinema screens include China Film Co., Ltd. Technology, Time Huaying, China Film Luminext, Huaying Jiguang, Huaxia Leyard, Unilumin Technology, Aoto Electronics, and Nanjing Luopu.
The growth of the LED cinema screen market in China is driven by three main factors:
Policy and Cost Reduction
Government initiatives, such as the “14th Five-Year Plan for Film Development,” have designated LED screens as a key project for “next-generation digital cinema equipment systems.” In 2024, six ministries jointly launched a projection system upgrade plan. This was followed by the National Film Bureau’s “Notice on the Development and Regulation of Digital Cinema LED Theaters” in June 2025, which positioned LED theaters as a significant advancement in film projection technology and established clear standards for their construction, technical specifications, content adaptation, and management.
Historically, the initial investment for an LED screen was 3 to 5 times that of traditional projection technology. However, advancements in LED micro-pitch technology and a competitive market have significantly lowered costs, making widespread adoption more feasible.
Economic and Performance Advantages
LED cinema screens offer clear advantages in terms of maintenance costs and longevity. The annual maintenance cost for a cinema laser projector exceeds ¥40,000 per unit, whereas the cost for an LED screen is near zero. LED screens have a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours, far surpassing the 20,000 to 30,000 hours for a laser light source and the mere 500 to 800 hours for a traditional xenon or mercury lamp.
From a performance standpoint, LED screens provide superior brightness, color, and contrast. In particular, they double the brightness of traditional systems for 3D screenings.
Diversified Revenue Streams
LED theaters are more than just venues for movie screenings. They can host a variety of events such as roadshows, premieres, and fan meet-and-greets. This versatility allows a single theater to generate an additional ¥300,000 to ¥500,000 in annual revenue.