More than 100,000 film tickets for the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) were taken within 10 minutes after the sale began on Monday morning.

Chinese authorities allowed reopening of cinemas in low-risk areas after nearly six months on the same day.

The event released its screening schedule on Sunday with over 300 productions in the lineup. 

There will be no offline ticket sales this year and the number of moviegoers allowed in each theater hall will be capped at 30 percent of its maximum capacity due to the COVID-19 epidemic. 

Within an hour, 128,042 tickets were sold on the festival's official booking platform Taopiaopiao.

The SIFF will be held from July 25 to August 2. It is the first international film festival to take place in a physical venue in the country since the coronavirus outbreak.

To meet the huge demand, cinema screenings, outdoor screenings and online screenings will be introduced this year.

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