Step inside Shanghai’s sprawling Xujiahui Metro City mall and you’ll find what was once a struggling cinema has been transformed into the spiritual home for Shanghai’s legion of animation fans.

There’s evidence to be found when, after riding the escalator to the fifth floor, we’re first met by two cosplaying teenagers perfecting their moves while shooting a dance routine for Douyin. On the ground behind them are bags full of anime-themed collectibles — including some furry little recreations from the hit Chinese animation Nobody — purchased from the scores of toy stores spread out across the complex.

Last year the struggling Metro City cinema was transformed into what’s known as the city’s Animation Theme Cinema — with its programs now only catering to that one genre — and during the Shanghai International Film Festival, screenings of everything from the recent Indonesian hit Jumbo to a 4K version of René Laloux’s classic Fantastic Planet (1973) were packed, and the toy-shop attendants outside were being kept busy.

“With clear positioning, targeted goals, and well-designed atmosphere and themed events, our target audiences have gathered steadily,” explained Liu Yina, director of the film department at the Shanghai Municipal Film Administration, during a panel at this year’s festival.

“Since opening, the Animation Theme Cinema has quickly become an iconic landmark for ACG culture. It has hosted more than 30 large-scale themed events, attracting nearly 1.5 million visitors, and non-ticket revenue including merchandise and themed catering has risen sharply.”

Quite rightly, this home to some 30 million people likes to promote itself as China’s “City of Film,” and its links to the industry date right back to the country’s first studios, built here around 1909 after an adventurous American impresario named Benjamin Brodsky first brought movie cameras to town. China’s first animated feature film — 1941’s Princess Iron Fan — was shot by Wan Guchan and Wan Laiming in a studio tucked away in Shanghai’s French Concession, just three kilometers from Metro City.

But hard times have hit the industry everywhere — China’s box office is running almost 41 percent behind last year’s pace, according to Artisan Gateway — and that’s called for innovative thinking.

“Shanghai’s cinema industry has witnessed two pivotal turning points in its evolution. The first came in 1908 with the opening of the Shanghai Hongkou Grand Theatre, China’s very first cinema,” Liu said. “The second occurred in 2002, when the Shanghai Gateway Yonghua Cineplex launched, ushering the industry into the digital multiplex era. Today, we are driving a third transformation — shifting cinemas from mere screening venues into integrated spaces for culture, socializing, and leisure.”

Grabbing headlines locally this past week has been the freshly painted and eager-to-please Minhang Huaxia Gumei Sports Theme Cinema — opened to coincide with the staging of the 2026 FIFA World Cup across North America and broadcasting live games in glorious 4K inside its main 500-seat hall. The claim is that it is the first — and so far only — sports-themed cinema in China.

There have been special meals provided due to the often-brutal screening times; there have been souvenir giveaways — and Liu has been pleased by the reaction among locals.

“We believe it will become a one-stop destination for film viewing, exhibitions, and sports,” said Liu. “Looking ahead, we will develop cinemas themed around technology, art, traditional opera, and more, continuously creating new cinema landmarks for Shanghai as a City of Film.”