Hundreds of Chinese Movie Theaters Reopen as Coronavirus Outbreak Slows1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteThe Chinese film industry is finally moving forward after weeks of devastating news due to the spread of COVID-19. According to Variety, more than 500 cinema screens have reopened in China, where the number of coronavirus infections is dropping daily. But even though life is slowly going back to normal, the Chinese box office is still facing an uphill battle—giving Hollywood a preview of the challenges it will face in the months ahead.
Those 500 screens, as Variety notes, ultimately represent less than 5% of all cinemas in China. And it’s perhaps no surprise that Chinese moviegoers are still largely avoiding theaters, likely still shaken by the way this highly contagious virus spread rapidly throughout the country and the world. The theaters were opened in five provinces: Xinjiang, Shangdong, Sichuan, Fujian, and Guangdong. Box office pulls are still extremely minimal; on Friday, the haul was less than $2,000. Per Variety, zero tickets were sold in Fujian and Guangdong over the weekend.
Photo Credit: Everett Collection
