China's movie theaters are reopening cautiously after a two-month nationwide shutdown. But before films hit the silver screen again in China's capital city, tension over recently imported cases of COVID-19 still has to subside. Cinemas in Beijing are waiting and preparing to reopen their doors.

"We have started getting copies of films for us to return to work. The process is going smoothly. And we are doing maintenance and adjustments on our equipment," said Liu Longyun, an operations manager in Ifree Cineplex, a cinema in Beijing.

And the cinema says they won't ease their health measures ahead of reopening. That includes disinfection in the lobby, corridor, movie theaters and restrooms, as well as precautions when the theaters are open.

"At the entrance, detailed registration and body temperature checks will be necessary," said Yang Lei, an employee of the cinema.

Some say cinemas reopening now is more symbolic than timely. But it's an urgent need in Beijing and other parts of the country.

It has been over two months since cinemas across the country shut their doors. Most now are thinking ways to offset their loses during the closure.

To make a profit, most cinemas resorted to online sales of snacks, drinks, coupons and various spin-off movie products. But this can hardly make up for the loss in revenue.

Even for some 500 Chinese movie theaters which just reopened last week, their box office total during the first weekend back was only some 50,000 yuan (7,031 U.S. dollars), according to a report.

Back in February 2019, China's box office total was over 10 billion yuan (1.41 billion U.S. dollars) while this February: zero.

"We also bear heavy operational costs, like rent, personnel and equipment. The pressure is huge, particularly in cash flow," said Zoe Zhong, general manager of Beijing Dadi Cinema Group.

Zhong said the good news is they get support, like special subsidies and others.

"We are also allowed to postpone paying social insurance and loans," she said.

Currently, only four percent of roughly 12,000 cinemas across China have reopened. And as the number increases, theaters have to first replay free or low-cost classic movies, as many blockbuster films have postponed their release dates. For them, the way back to normal doesn't look to be quick and easy. But, especially for those young people locked at home for the past months, cinemas could be among the first options after missing for so long.  

Cover image: An empty cinema in Beijing. Wu Jinjing/CGTN