China leads the charge on cinematic HFR

While the Western film industry remains cautious about moving beyond the century-old 24fps format, China is beginning to embrace higher frame rates (HFR) in earnest.

You are likely familiar with the controversy surrounding The Hobbit's 48fps HFR presentation in 2012. Some viewers disliked the hyper-realistic look, comparing it to a "soap opera".

Cinemagoers in China, however, seem less resistant to change, and for the first time cinematic HFR is being used as a marketing pitch with the release of Jurassic World: Rebirth.


Was Avatar 2 an eye-opener?
Avatar: The Way of Water may have been the watershed moment in China. The film was hugely popular and audiences generally embraced its 48fps presentation.

Unlike Peter Jackson's pure HFR approach in The Hobbit, James Cameron used motion grading – also known as TrueCut Motion – to selectively adjust motion scene-by-scene, much like color grading. Motion grading can remove excessive stutter but maintain the cinematic look.

 Also read: Why 24fps is not enough for HDR movies

China has also experimented with even higher frame rates. The Wandering Earth 2 was shot at 60fps and shown at 120fps using AMR (AI Master Reproduction), a motion smoothing method similar to what is found in TVs. The approach has since been largely abandoned.

In its place, motion grading is gaining momentum. Titles like Kung Fu Panda 4 and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire have also released in HFR in China.


Jurassic World: Rebirth in cinematic HFR
 How China's state-run Cinity chain promotes the cinematic HFR release of Rebirth.
China is now leaning into 'cinematic HFR', a term used in the industry to distance newer efforts from past HFR missteps. Jurassic World: Rebirth is the first film in China marketed as a 4K48 release using TrueCut.

The TrueCut version is playing in around 200 Cinity auditoriums across China, equipped with either large LED screens or, more commonly, Christie laser projectors (similar to Dolby Cinema). Cinity is owned by the Chinese Communist Party's China Film Group Corporation (CFGC) and it is notable that they are now promoting an American technology –TrueCut – after moving away from their AMR.

IMAX is another popular premium format in China but does not currently have motion graded presentations. Beyond premium formats like Cinity, IMAX and Dolby Cinema, it will take significant investment for theaters worldwide to match the motion capabilities of today's TVs.

Strangely, the 4K48 version of Jurassic World: Rebirth appears to be missing entirely from North America and Europe, reflecting the Western industry's continued reluctance to move beyond 24fps. The film was shot at 24fps but motion graded to 48fps to smooth out stutter.


What's in the pipeline?
We asked Pixelworks, the company behind TrueCut Motion, about what is next. While they declined to confirm future titles, they shared that three films were motion graded in 2023, five in 2024, and they expect more in 2025, despite a slow first half.

While Avatar: Fire and Ash seems like a sure thing, it is too early to go into details.

Pixelworks added that some TrueCut Motion movies are already available on Apple Vision Pro, which is the first consumer device to support it, and that they are still working to bring the format to TVs.