“i’M shocked that so many tickets have already sold,” remarked Japanese actress Kanna Hashimoto on the Shanghai debut of “Spirited Away.”

The stage production, a live adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved animation classic, lit up Shanghai Culture Square with 42 performances between July 14 and August 17, drawing more than 78,000 theatergoers and raking in an impressive 49 million yuan (US$6.84 million) in box office.

“We had confidence in this IP from the very beginning,” said Fei Yuanhong, general manager of Shanghai Culture Square.

First premiered in Tokyo in 2022, the play later had a residency run at London’s West End, but did not tour internationally. Shanghai marked its first-ever stop in China and is the only city on the tour.

The fact that Toho, the production company, didn’t have much collaboration with China underscores the significance of Shanghai being selected as the first stop.

Beyond early outreach, hardware compatibility was crucial.

“For example, the number of rigging bars, the speed at which they are raised, the width of the stage opening, and the audience sight lines ... If these requirements aren’t met, it would be impossible to bring such a large production here,” he said.

Beyond the “hardware,” the local team’s experience and professionalism in working with international troupes earned them recognition.

“For foreign troupes, Shanghai’s service is high-standard; we know what they need,” Fei said.

The success of “Spirited Away” demonstrates the growth of Shanghai’s live entertainment industry in recent years.

According to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism, the city hosted over 57,000 commercial performances in 2024, generating 5.17 billion yuan in box office revenue and attracting more than 25.4 million attendees, which marks an increase of over 20 percent compared with the previous year.

Shanghai consistently ranks as a leading city in China for hosting international productions. Recent years have seen the Chinese premieres of “Romeo and Juliet,” “Notre Dame de Paris” and “Mozart! The Rock Opera.”

Last year, well-known troupes such as the Scala Theatre Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet selected Shanghai as their sole venue in China. The English-language production of “Phantom of the Opera” had an impressive run of 59 sold-out performances, drawing nearly 100,000 viewers.

This fall, “Les Misérables” will return to the Shanghai Grand Theater for 24 performances, marking its only stop on the Chinese mainland. Pre-sale box office revenue has already surpassed 31 million yuan, with tickets selling out almost immediately.

Theater represents just one facet of the city’s role as China’s gateway to global culture.

According to the music media outlet MusicBusiness, by this February, over 40 international artists had confirmed tours in China, totaling more than 170 performances nationwide. Of these, 44 are in Shanghai, nearly double the 24 scheduled for Beijing. Famous performers like Mariah Carey and Kanye West consider Shanghai a must-visit destination.

For international performers, Shanghai acts as a testing ground.

“Shanghai is the most cutting-edge place. If a performance isn’t well-received here, artists will worry even more about other cities,” remarked Han Xinzi, a veteran in the electronic music industry.

Han served as the head of Supermodified Agency in China, Asia’s leading electronic music talent agency headquartered in South Korea.

She now runs her own studio, Lenz Asia, assisting international artists and brands in promoting and performing in China. Han has collaborated with top-tier electronic music artists, including Martin Garrix, The Chainsmokers, and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike.

Shanghai audiences are known not only for their sophisticated tastes but also for their spending power.

Fei from Shanghai Culture Square said that the cost of bringing “Spirited Away” to the city was tens of millions of yuan, a price too steep for many other Asian markets but manageable in Shanghai.

“When a blockbuster cultural brand comes to town, audiences here are willing to follow the trend, paying high ticket prices,” he said.

The city also draws audiences from the surrounding Yangtze River Delta region. Nearly 30 percent of Culture Square attendees last year came from neighboring provinces like Jiangsu and Zhejiang, either residing in Shanghai or traveling specifically for shows.

Fans from Japan and South Korea also attend major productions here.

Out-of-town spectators tend to spend more. According to Fei, during the run of “Spirited Away,” theater merchandise sales alone reached between 60,000 and 70,000 yuan per day.

Yet strong box office figures don’t necessarily translate into long-term cultural habits.

Fei noted that audiences tend to “follow trends,” and in comparison to Western countries, Shanghai has a relatively small pool of regular theatergoers.

“An industry’s foundation relies on the mid and lower tiers. If everything depends on the top, it isn’t very sustainable,” he said.

But other performance genres have exhibited uneven growth.

Shanghai’s once-thriving electronic music scene has diminished in recent years. Han said that in April 2017, her former company Supermodified alone had organized over 100 hours of performances across China.

The Ultra China music festival in 2017 attracted 50,000 fans over two days. Ticket sales reached 37 million yuan, with an additional 9 million yuan from sponsorships and table packages, totaling over 46 million yuan in revenue.

However, shows have dropped, and consuming habits have shifted.

“A typical table in a nightclub used to cost between 50,000 and 100,000 yuan per night,” Han said. “People who once celebrated with champagne now drink beer. Yet, the costs for international artists have remained the same.”

Nightclubs have suffered from falling alcohol spending. However, younger audiences are diversifying increasingly, with many expressing a preference for hip-hop, anime and manga.

A report in local news portal Jiefang Daily pointed out that Shanghai has 15 of China’s top 100 anime and manga malls and 80 popular brand stores. Its annual offline sales are approximately 1.2 billion yuan, the biggest in the country.

“Declines in both spending power and professionalism have caused the electronic music market to shrink overall,” Han observed.

But given Shanghai’s electronic music scene’s history, she remains optimistic.

“Electronic music holds a large share of the international market and is a high-revenue industry. China’s market still has many gaps, so there is plenty of room for future growth.”