Worried you'll book a ticket and end up watching a Mandarin dub?
Yes, you can watch films in English in Shanghai, and often on opening weekend. It comes down to one label on the booking screen: look for 原版 (yuanban, original version), and the decoder below covers the rest so a Mandarin dub never catches you out. Big cinemas like Peace Cinema at People's Square and UME in Xintiandi run original-audio screenings, and tickets usually cost 50 to 120 RMB depending on the seat and the format.
Good to know
- Good for: anyone who wants a Hollywood or international release in its original language without a dubbing surprise.
- What you'll pay: about 50 to 120 RMB (about USD 8 to 18) for a standard seat; IMAX and premium halls run higher.
- Make the most of it: book on your phone the day before, filter for 原版, and pick your seat from the map.
What is worth seeing right now (September 2026)
Our editor watched every one of these on a Shanghai screen over the past two months and recommends them without reservation, each one worth your time and your ticket. Here is what is on, grouped by how much English you will get.
In English, original audio (英文原版)
- The Odyssey (奥德赛). Christopher Nolan's sweeping take on Homer, and the one film here that truly earns an IMAX hall.
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day (蜘蛛侠). Marvel's newest web-slinger, worth catching on opening weekend in a full house.
- Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (杀死比尔). Tarantino's two volumes stitched into one director's cut, about four and a half hours with a 15 minute intermission built in.
- Fall 2 (坠落2). The vertigo survival thriller is back, and it still does not want you to look down.
- The Shawshank Redemption (肖申克的救赎). The prison-and-hope classic returns to the big screen, worth every one of its minutes.
- Obsession (痴迷). A slick English-language horror that turned into a surprise hit; bring someone whose hand you can grab.
Made in China, with English-subtitle showings (可选英文字幕的场次)
- Once Upon a Time in the Middle East (欢迎来龙餐馆). Shen Teng runs a Chinese restaurant in a Middle East war zone; it opens as comedy and lands somewhere far deeper.
- Empty Gun (空枪). A 1990s Hong Kong crime saga with Zhu Yilong and Tony Leung, tense and beautifully shot.
- Kung Fu Soccer (功夫女足). An Emei women's team that plays football like a martial-arts troupe, pure crowd-pleasing fun.
Excellent, but likely Mandarin only (可能没有英文字幕)
- All Wishes Come True (八仙！). A homegrown animation that packed cinemas all summer, a witty origin story for the Eight Immortals; the visuals carry it even if you miss a line.
These are now-showing picks as of September 2026; what is on changes week to week, so check Maoyan or Taopiaopiao for today's sessions.
How do you tell if a film is in English and not dubbed?
This is the whole game, and it trips up almost every newcomer once. Chinese cinemas run imported films in two versions at the same complex: the original audio and a Mandarin dub. The booking app tells you which is which if you know the words, so learn these four labels and you will never sit through an accidental dub again.
| What the label says | What you'll actually hear |
|---|---|
| 原版 / 英文原版 | Original English audio with Chinese subtitles: what you want |
| 英语 | English audio, usually with subtitles |
| 国语 / 中文 / 国配 | Dubbed into Mandarin: avoid unless you want the practice |
| 中英字幕 | Chinese and English subtitles, on top of the original audio |
When in doubt, a screening tagged with an English-language film title and 原版 is the safe pick. Animated films are the big trap, they skew heavily toward the dubbed 国语 version because the local audience is families, so check twice for anything animated.
Booking a ticket, all from your phone
Nobody queues at a box office here. Everyone books on Taopiaopiao (淘票票), inside Alipay, or Maoyan (猫眼). The no-download route is Maoyan, built right into WeChat.
Buy tickets in WeChat, step by step
1. Tap Me (我) at the bottom right of WeChat, then Services (服务) at the top. 2. On the Services page, tap the red Maoyan cat, 电影演出玩乐 (movies, shows and fun). Glance one row up: Transport (交通出行) holds 火车票机票 for train and flight tickets, next to hotels, so this one page is your ticket drawer for the whole city.
3. Set the city to Shanghai (上海) at the top left, pick a tab (电影/影院 cinema, 演唱会 concerts, 演出 shows, 脱口秀 comedy, 休闲展览 exhibitions, 景点 attractions), choose a showing marked 原版, pick your seat, and pay with WeChat Pay. 4. All in Chinese? Tap the three dots at the top right, then Translate (翻译), and the page flips to English.
That same path also sells concerts, comedy nights, museum shows and even high-speed train seats, all without leaving WeChat. The official Shanghai government guide to buying tickets online covers it in English too. Book the day before for a weekend and you get the good middle seats; walk up on a Tuesday and you still get in for less.
Which Shanghai cinemas show original-version films?
Most large multiplexes carry at least one original-audio screen for the big releases, but a few are reliable bets. Peace Cinema at 290 Xizang Middle Road sits right on People's Square with a six-screen complex and an IMAX hall, ideal for a spectacle you want loud and central. UME International Cineplex on the fifth floor at 123 Xingye Road in Xintiandi is where Hollywood premieres walk their red carpet, with plush seats to match. Beyond those two, your neighbourhood mall multiplex almost always has a couple of original-version showings a week; it is just quieter about advertising them.
| Cinema | Where | Good for | Ticket (RMB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peace Cinema 和平影都 | People's Square, Huangpu | An IMAX blockbuster in the middle of town | 50-180 USD 8-27 |
| UME International Cineplex | Xintiandi, Huangpu | A plush seat and the big Hollywood releases | from 100 USD 15-24 |
| Your local multiplex | Almost every mall | A cheap weeknight showing near home | 40-90 USD 6-13 |
Dollar figures use about 6.7 RMB to the US dollar (September 2026), so treat them as a ballpark.
Which cinemas have IMAX in Shanghai?
For a blockbuster you want loud and large, Shanghai keeps IMAX screens in most central districts. These are the ones across town, roughly grouped west to east.
| Cinema | Where | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| IMAX Peace Cinema 和平影都 | People's Square, Huangpu | Central and easy to reach |
| SFC Yonghua 永华 | Grand Gateway, Xujiahui, Xuhui | Also runs 4K and 4D |
| Broadway 百老汇 | Huaihai Middle Rd, Xuhui | By iapm, IMAX with Laser |
| Stellar 星美 | Super Brand Mall, Lujiazui, Pudong | Large hall by the river |
| SFC Jinqiao 金桥 | The Mall, Jinqiao, Pudong | Handy for eastern Pudong |
| LCM Palace | Zhangyang Rd, Pudong | Near Century Avenue |
| Wanda International 万达 | Wujiaochang, Yangpu | North of the centre |
| Unicity CGV | Hongqiao Unicity, Qingpu | IMAX with Laser, out west |
IMAX venues checked against the official IMAX theatre locator (imax.com), September 2026; it lists the exact address and any new screens.
Beyond the multiplex: festivals and one-off nights
The calendar highlight is the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) each June, when hundreds of films from around the world screen in their original languages across the city and tickets sell fast on Taopiaopiao the moment they drop. Outside the festival, independent venues and art spaces run occasional original-language nights, and the major international blockbusters reach Shanghai screens close to their global release. If you are lining up a whole evening around it, our guides to where to go out after and to a good autumn night in the city pair well with a screening, and if sport is more your thing we mapped where to catch a live match too.
Can I pay for a movie ticket without a Chinese bank card?
Usually yes. Both WeChat Pay and Alipay now let many overseas Visa and Mastercard cards link for in-app payments, so you can book on Maoyan or Taopiaopiao without a local bank account. If a card is ever refused, a friend can pay and you settle up, or top up a small WeChat balance first.
Do the ads really run before the listed showtime?
Yes. Shanghai cinemas play roughly 10 to 15 minutes of trailers and adverts after the printed start time, so the feature itself begins a little later. It is the one time a few minutes late costs you nothing, and you will not miss the opening scene.
Do Shanghai cinemas show films with English subtitles?
Imported films screen in their original audio with Chinese subtitles, so an English-language film is fully understandable even though the on-screen subtitles are in Chinese. English subtitles on non-English films are rare outside festival screenings like SIFF. For a Hollywood release, the original-version showing is all you need.
Can I still see new Hollywood releases in Shanghai?
Yes. Most major international releases reach Shanghai cinemas around their global opening, subject to the local release schedule, and play in original-version screenings as well as dubbed ones. Book the 原版 showing on release weekend and you are watching it in English, in a full house, the same week as everyone back home.
Confucius wrote, 知之者不如好之者，好之者不如乐之者, to know a thing is less than to love it, and to love it is less than to delight in it; a film in your own language, on a big screen, is one of the simpler delights this city hands you.
Words, maps and research by the Choice Shanghai team. Please credit us and tag our 公众号 if you share.
