Acheer screening (Japanese:応援上映,Hepburn:ouen jōei) is a type offilm screening associated withJapanese cinema that encouragesaudience participation throughcheering, typically in the form of applause, singing, and the shouting of responses to statements made by characters. Other terms used to describe this category of screening includecheering screening (チアリング上映,chiaringu jōei),[1][2]vocal screening (発声型上映,hassei-gata jōei),[3]screaming screening (絶叫上映,zekkyō jōei)[4] andvoice screening (声出し上映,koedashi jōei).[5] When applied toIndian films, it is often called amasala screening (マサラ上映,masara jōei).
While participatory film screenings have an international history and context (most famously inmidnight movie screenings of the 1975 filmThe Rocky Horror Picture Show), "cheer screenings" as a category gained particular popularity in Japan beginning in the early- to mid-2010s. While cheer screenings are most commonly associated withanime films, they have been held for anime and non-anime films that are both Japanese and non-Japanese in origin.
Cheer screenings inviteaudience participation through shouting, applause, and the yelling of responses to statements made by characters.[3] Other activities common at cheer screenings includecosplay, repetition of lines of dialogue,[6]singing along to songs and musical numbers,[7] and the use ofglow sticks to performwotagei (a form of coordinated cheering common atJapanese idol concerts).[6] Cheer screenings contrast starkly with typical film screenings in Japan during which absolute silence is the norm.[6]
In Japan, cheer screenings were conceived in the late 2000s as a response to the proliferation ofstreaming media on personal devices, which has resulted in a decline in movie theater attendance.[8] In 2009,Cinema City [ja] in Tokyo screened the concert filmMichael Jackson's This Is It as a "live-style screening" (ライブスタイル上映) that encouraged the audience to stand and cheer, as they would in an actual live concert performance.[8] In 2011, a "screaming night" screening was held for the anime filmSengoku Basara: The Last Party,[9] and in 2016, cheering screenings were held for the live action filmHigh&Low The Movie.[10]
Cheer screenings were widely publicized following the release of the 2016 anime filmKing of Prism by Pretty Rhythm.[11][12][13] The film was specifically designed for the purpose of inviting audience participation through cheering,[14] and features pauses in dialogue to allow for cheering and shouted responses by the audience.[13] Cheering screenings for films, particularlyanime films, proliferated in response to the success ofKing of Prism by Pretty Rhythm.[11]
As Japanese movie theaters that had been closed in 2020 as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic gradually re-opened, cheer screenings were replaced with screenings wheretext messages from audience members were superimposed on the screen, a format similar to "bullet comments" (danmaku) common on video sharing websites such asBilibili.[15][16] Other cheer screenings were held onZoom, which allowed viewers to be able to see the state of the audience and cheer without loudness concerns.[17]
The 1975 filmThe Rocky Horror Picture Show has a long-established history of screenings that invite audience participation through the use of props, the shouting of lines, and the singing of songs.[18] Cheer screenings can be seen as roughly analogous to westernmusical films that receive limitedsing-along theatrical releases, such asMamma Mia! in 2008[19] andFrozen in 2014.[20]
Cheer screenings for Japanese films are occasionally held outside of Japan. In 2019, American film distributorGKIDS held an official cheer screening for the anime filmPromare inFort Worth, Texas,[21] a film that also held cheer screenings in Japan.[22]
Cheer screenings have been cited as an example of a shift in consumer tastes towards participatory and experience-based entertainment, allowing audiences to enjoy a form of active media consumption in a typically passive environment.[3][10] They have been noted as positively contributing to box office revenue; cheer screenings often become popular thoughword of mouth on social media, and enthusiastic fans will often attend multiple cheer screenings for the same film.[3][4] The format is generally regarded as ill-suited for individuals who wish to concentrate on the film or avoidspoilers; consequently, cheer screenings are typically marketed towards individuals who have already seen the film in question.[3]
The proliferation of cheer screenings has occasionally lagged behind public awareness of their existence; reports emerged of disgruntled individuals unwittingly purchasing tickets to cheer screenings of the 2019 live-action filmAvengers: Endgame,[23] while a cheer screening of the 2015 anime filmLove Live! The School Idol Movie was cancelled after being deemed a nuisance.[24]