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Ms. Chi said that this kind of situation occurs from time to time in all small cinemas, "It's like dining in a restaurant when suddenly the power goes out," she said. For temporary situations, even if it's just one minute, the general handling method for cinemas is: immediately change the screening, refund tickets, or sign an effective viewing date on the original ticket. "Maybe that Weibo user felt regretful, but I myself didn't ask for a refund or anything."
Various Screening Accidents with Relevant Regulations
Later, a Xi'an netizen named "Lantiao19790908" revealed on Weibo: "On November 29, while watching the 3D movie 'The Adventures of Tintin' at the Xi'an Sai Gao Oscar Cinema, we encountered a film malfunction. Just as it was about to end, suddenly there was only sound and no picture. The result? Staff narrated the ending and advised the audience to leave. What a pitiful day!" At the same time, he also showed the movie ticket from the scene. When the Weibo post was reposted on December 2 and gained attention, it eventually became a topic for netizens to joke about.
Netizen Jokes: A Very Creative Ending
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Netizen "Stanshum's Bell LC" said: "Although this movie has a new storyline, the visual effects are indeed somewhat disappointing to the audience, affecting the mood!" While "Yes94Connie" commented: "Cinema staff aren't easy. They usually develop various skills unnoticed by people. I actually admire their ability to adapt to changes. At least they're trying to solve problems!"
Dong Wei, a projectionist at the Dongwei Movie Theater, told reporters that during the screening process, various issues may arise, and everyone has probably encountered them. In late 2009, during the media preview and premiere of 'Three Guns Three Cases' in Beijing, the cinema mistakenly used the wrong copy for up to 20 minutes. Last year, when 'Avatar' was released, the IMAX cinema at Wanda International Cinema in Dongguan experienced a screening accident where the audience watched over an hour of advertisements before becoming upset due to the inability to endure it. Reporters learned that such situations often occur at domestic film festivals: some have the order of copies mixed up, causing connection issues; others have pictures but no sound. This year at the Venice Film Festival, Chinese director Cai Shangjun's movie 'Three Three Two Two' premiered, but due to a faulty lamp in the cinema, a burnt smell arose, causing a minor disaster.
Cinema Response: Malfunction in the Final Minute
What would you do if, while watching a movie in the cinema, near the end, the movie suddenly had sound but no picture? Would you ask for a refund? Change the screening? Yesterday, a Xi'an netizen exposed another kind of ending on Weibo: Watching 'The Adventures of Tintin', just as it was about to end, a mechanical malfunction occurred, and finally, the staff narrated the ending orally before dismissing the audience! Reporters learned last night that this incident happened in the final minute of the movie.
Last night, reporters called Zhang Xiaomei, a staff member at the Xi'an Oscar Sai Gao International Cinema. She confirmed the incident and introduced the details: "The movie was about to end in just one minute when equipment malfunction suddenly occurred. There were approximately 20-30 viewers on-site. The staff, being young girls, explained to everyone that if they could wait, the issue would be fixed within 10 minutes or so. However, a few viewers on-site said the movie was almost over, 'Just tell us what the ending is.' Thus, the staff narrated the last minute's ending to everyone. Then, everyone left without waiting."
Compared to those evaluations, the reporter noticed more jokes, such as "DlingDling Nandading" who said: "Haha, too talented! Like Teacher Tianfang Fu reincarnated!" Netizen "xujey" said: "Oral narration of the ending? How does one portray silent scenes?" And "Nothing Stopping Dreams" believed it was "a very creative ending."
For cinephiles, how should one protect their rights if encountering such incidents in the future? Li Housheng, the manager of Xi'an Boguang Cinema, told reporters: "This afternoon, our cinema also experienced a small malfunction. Due to server issues, one movie stopped five times, and in the end, we refunded the tickets or changed them to other movies." He said that domestic film distribution and exhibition associations do not have relevant regulations because screening accidents vary widely. Generally, cinemas handle them independently. For cinemas, they will consult the audience's opinions and satisfy their requests. Even if the movie is broadcast to the last minute, as long as the audience requests a refund, it must be given, because it is the right of the audience.