Theaters in China's cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are experimenting with interactive screens that display text messages from moviegoers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Dubbed as the Bullet Screens, these theater features allow audience members to comment on the film through messages from their phones. The messages are displayed on the middle of the screen, in front of the images or scenes of the movie.

The cost of sending one text message is .1 yuan, which is roughly $0.02. The purpose of the Bullet Screens is to enhance the social experience of watching movies in theaters.

The first film that tested out the interactive feature is the 3D animated film "The Legend of Qin." The film was shown at a Luxin theater in Shandong province. According to the theater's manager, most of the audience members who participated in the interactive test were mostly adolescents, IGN reported.

For the director of "The Legend of Qin," Shen Leping, commenting on the film through text messages can help filmmakers improve their works. The feature allows them to, in a way, directly communicate with the audience regarding their feedback, according to CCTV.

"We are exploring how the response from the audience can affect the movie itself," Leping said. "For example, we can conduct live polls and even alter the development of the plot based on responses we receive from audiences."

"We are, in fact, putting the director and viewer on equal terms and I think many of the opinions of the viewers are very helpful for film makers," the director added.

Although Bullet Screens integrate new technology and the social experience of watching films, many film viewers found text messages floating across the screen annoying.

"I think it's kind of distracting to see all the comments flying across the screen," one viewer said. "It really diverts your attention from the plot."

"The words fly by so quickly it makes me dizzy, I don't like it," another movie fan said.

Chinese film critic Yu Xing believes allowing people to publicly comment on a film is only effective for certain kinds of movies.

"There's always the danger of the feature of live commenting overshadowing the movie itself," Xing said. "I think live commenting is more suitable for comedies and animations. If you were to make cheeky remarks about more serious works such as movies that tell a tragic story or historical works, it would seem appropriate."