Cinema enters a new age of immersive filmmaking

With a virtual reality headset strapped over her eyes, a 9-year-old girl surnamed Zhao stepped into a shimmering cinematic world, where she moved her small hands with purpose through the air as she learned sign language to help a character in an animated VR film.

In similar immersive experiences, audiences are no longer mere viewers but active participants. As more people flock to VR films, drawn by blockbuster intellectual properties or the promise of unique experiences, VR cinema is emerging as a new frontier in storytelling.

"The interactive and immersive experiences really captivated her," said the girl's father, Zhao Tianyi. "She loves the immersive section so much that she has come back for three years in a row, and now she even skips lunch."

Zhao said he had experienced three VR works at this year's Beijing International Film Festival held last month and has witnessed clear improvements in VR movies over time, including sharper images, richer content and better storytelling.

"Compared to traditional cinema, what makes VR movies unique is how they transform viewers' relationship with images and move from lens-based to spatial storytelling, shattering the physical limits of cinema screens," said Huangfu Yichuan, a research fellow at the China Film Art Research Center.

VR films are not meant to replace traditional cinema but to complement and expand it. "VR films offer the industry vast room for imagination while giving traditional filmmakers new, creative methods," said Che Lin, a curator of the Boundless and Immersive section at BJIFF and an associate professor at the Communication University of China.

This year, the section showcased more than 50 works, including VR products, from home and abroad. It also focused on social themes and historical memories, for instance, using VR as a new documentary format.

"The section was more than a showcase, but a deep dive into what cinema could become. Immersive sections have become indispensable to film festivals globally," said Che, noting that audience feedback had been fervent, as evidenced by tickets for the opening weekend selling out.

Behind the development of VR films lies China's push to guide the industry toward regulated growth. Last year, China released a circular to improve the regulatory environment for VR films. This year, general technical requirements were released, covering their production, screening and viewing experience.

Local governments across the country, including those in Beijing, Shanghai and East China's Fujian province, have also tailored their policies to foster VR-related industries. Central China's Henan province has even written about developing VR films in its 2026 Government Work Report.

According to experts, VR products — often found in museums, shopping malls and exhibitions — offer unique advantages in promoting culture and history, as well as boosting tourism and consumption, thanks to immersive technologies and interactive social features.

In Shanghai's Songjiang district, companies are encouraged to create immersive, interactive content by combining VR and other technologies with film and television, tourism and games.

From a practical standpoint, industry insiders believe that as technologies like AI advance, the cost of producing VR films is expected to decrease, allowing creators to focus more on creativity. Domestically, VR film experiences generally fall into location-based, seated and mobile options. Location-based VR, the mainstream option, allows multiple viewers to walk around wearing headsets. Seated VR resembles a conventional cinema, while mobile VR typically refers to moving theater cabins.

Despite rapid industry growth, challenges remain. Observers said that VR films still have a long way to go, as they require greater technical and infrastructure support, such as headsets and dedicated VR seating, along with better content and more diverse formats.