More than 500 cinema screens have reopened in China, the original home of the coronavirus outbreak which seems to be receding. State media CGTN reports that 486 cinemas were open for business on Friday, the number rising to 507 by Monday.
That represents less than 5% of all cinemas in commercial operation prior to the virus outbreak, and box-office takings remain minimal as the public is still mostly staying away. In fact, two of the provinces in which cinemas opened did not sell a single ticket according to ticketing firm Maoyan.
Most of the films currently available are re-runs of recent and popular Chinese movies, a move that is intended to minimize risk. Warner Bros. teased a possible release of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” last week to help, but that re-release remains without a date.
The Chinese economy is getting back to work and recovering, a different story to the rest of the world which remains several weeks behind on the curve with numerous world governments taking drastic measures to contain the virus.
Source: Variety
