Despite purchasing "comfortable" special seats in a Chinese cinema, the equipment instead led to an uncomfortable experience. Chinese media outlet Jimu News reported this on August 30.

【その他の写真】

According to the article, Zhang (ジャン), a resident of Shanghai, recently visited a cinema to watch "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Wanting a more comfortable viewing experience, Zhang chose and purchased a seat that was displayed as being in the "Best Viewing Area." However, upon entering the theater, Zhang realized that the seat was a massage chair (with an additional fee required to use the massage function).

When sitting down, the protruding part of the massage machine hit the back of Zhang's head, making it uncomfortable. Since the seat was in the third row from the front and the screen was at a slightly upward angle, Zhang had to press their head against the protrusion, which reportedly caused a headache.

Zhang complained, "There was no indication whatsoever at the time of purchase that the seat was a massage chair." Zhang added, "If I had known it was this kind of seat, I would never have chosen it. Massage chairs should not be installed in the main seats of a theater, and if they are installed, it should be clearly announced in advance."

According to the article, cases like Zhang's are not uncommon, and a certain percentage of massage chairs are reportedly installed in theaters in multiple cinemas in Shanghai. When attempting to select a seat via an app, a seating chart of the theater was displayed, but only sold-out and available seats were color-coded, making it impossible to tell which seats were massage chairs.

Furthermore, when attempting to purchase tickets from another platform, although seats were categorized into "Regular Area," "Discount Area," and "Best Viewing Area," there was no indication whatsoever as to whether massage chairs were installed in each area.

Complaints about massage chair seats are endless, with one person saying, "There are so many protrusions, and they hit your body when you sit, which is uncomfortable. They are far less comfortable than regular seats. When a customer in the adjacent seat activates the massage function, it can make noise and be distracting."

According to a cinema staff member, in recent years, as the growth of cinema revenue has slowed, there has been an increasing trend to introduce massage chairs into theaters. There are two models: a "direct management model" where the massage chair company pays rent to the cinema to install chairs in the theater, and the revenue from users goes to the massage chair company; and a "joint operation model" where the revenue from usage fees is shared between the cinema and the massage chair company.

It is said that a certain number of massage chairs are installed in almost all theaters, and while complaints from consumers are not uncommon, the operating company makes the installation decisions collectively, so the cinema feels it "can't do anything about it."

An expert familiar with law pointed out, "If cinemas and ticket sales platforms do not clearly indicate in advance that seats are massage chairs, it could infringe upon consumers' right to know and their right to choose." (Translation and editing by Kitada)