电影

电影 (diànyǐng) is the standard Chinese word for 'movie' or 'film,' literally 'electric shadow' — a calque from the early 20th-century way of describing projected light on a screen. It is the neutral term used in conversation, on tickets, and in writing. Watching a movie is 看电影 (kàn diànyǐng), and the venue is 电影院 (diànyǐngyuàn).

Two things to know: first, the measure word is 部 for the film as a work (一部电影) and 场 for a specific screening (一场电影); second, native speakers say 看电影 even for streaming on a phone, so the word is not limited to theaters. There is no separate everyday word for 'film' vs 'movie' in Chinese.