Shanghai movie-goers would like to pay 80 yuan (US$11.4) at most to see a film at cinemas, ranking the highest in a survey among eight major cities across the country, Youth Daily reported.

CVSC-SOFRES Media Research conducted the "Examination and Evaluation of Chinese Cinema Goers" survey that had 2,500 respondents in eight cities including Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan in Hubei Province and Shenzhen in Guangdong Province.

Respondents were asked how much they would like to pay for a film. Beijing people said 50 yuan at most, narrowly higher than film watchers in Wuhan, where people have less disposable income.

Shenzhen cinema goers ranked second to those in Shanghai, saying they would like to pay a little less than 80 yuan.

Most Shanghai interviewees said they preferred not to go to the cinema because they had many other entertainment alternatives. They also said high prices for tickets and easy access to pirated DVDs or online downloads made going to the cinema less attractive.

Film fans said their biggest wish for the industry was cheaper ticket prices and producing good works, according to the survey.

The survey also indicated that comedy and action films were still the favored genres with love stories finishing third.

A typical success story was the recent "The Forbidden Kingdom'' starring powerhouse stars Jet Li and Jackie Chan. The film combined comedy and action, the report said.

(Shanghai Daily June 17, 2008)