No popcorn, staggered seating, mandatory masks and movie reruns – going back to the theater in China offers a drastically different experience in the coronavirus era, but that's not keeping eager film buffs away.

The world's second-largest film market seems to have passed its darkest moment as China has seen over half of its movie theaters reopen following a six-month coronavirus-induced hiatus.

More than 5,800 theaters across the country have resumed screenings by July 28, accounting for about 53.7 percent of the nationwide total, with some 416,600 screenings arranged during the reopening week, according to Lighthouse, a box office tracker and data platform.

But stringent measures are in place to protect both spectators and staff. Tickets can only be bought online and moviegoers need to keep distance between each other inside the theaters. 

Food and drinks are a no-no, and most of what's showing is neither the latest release nor the most recent blockbuster. But the incomplete affair is still pulling in long-starved fans.

"The last time I bought a movie ticket was on December 20, last year. I haven't been to the movies for more than half a year," Yu Du, a college student, told CGTN.

It might sound like a cliché, but there is truth to the saying, "you don't know the value of something until you've lost it."

The closure of cinemas as a precautionary measure against the spread of the coronavirus in January has made Yu, and countless others, realize the value of a simple trip to the movie theater.

"It is an indispensable part of my life. Without it, life will lose a lot of its colors."

Measures and money

Li Jie, the manager of Emperor Cinema in Beijing, told CGTN that the crowd has been sizeable since the complex reopened. On the first day, available tickets were all out for at least four screenings.

"The audience, who has experienced half a year of depression, is eager to watch a movie in the theater."

So far, over 100 movie theaters in Beijing have welcomed back cinephiles after authorities gave the green light for venues in the capital's low-risk zones to open starting July 24.

Li said they received the "good news" about 10 days in advance but preparations for the big day had started about half a year ago. "During the half-year closure, we cleaned all carpets, rinsed the pipes and filters of the central air-conditioning, and disinfected the entire theater."

Since it resumed operations on July 25, her cinema, much like others nationwide, has implemented a raft of anti-epidemic measures, including disinfection and temperature checks. The attendance per screening has been limited to 30 percent of the theater's capacity, while the number of films shown per venue has been halved.

The restrictions have affected the box office.

The revenue from ticket sales in the first week of reopening stood at 109 million yuan (15.6 million U.S. dollars), down 92.2 percent from a year ago and was roughly equal to a single day's earnings during the same period last year.

In some places, ticket sales haven't been enough to cover the theater's expenses.

But for operators, who made virtually no money since the beginning of 2020 while having to deal with operating costs, resumption is a positive sign that ushers in more possibilities.

A place to dream

The tough reopening rules, though slowing the recovery pace for cinemas, didn't turn the audience away.

Like Yu, many movie fans CGTN interviewed said that when they heard of the reopening news they felt like their life was back.

Many said that the full movie theater experience cannot be replaced by streaming stuff online, owing to better equipment and ambiance.

"If you watch a movie at home by yourself, the ambiance is different as you can't see other spectators laughing and crying at the same time," said Zhang Cheng, a civil servant.

The months during which cinemas were shut down felt as if he had lost an old friend. He went to the cinema as soon as possible after reopening.

"I hope to find my friend back," he said.

A rebirth

With the rapidly increasing number of viewers, the single-day total box office hit 35.2 million yuan (5.04 million U.S. dollars) by July 26, roughly 10 times the figure on day 1, according to a report released by Maoyan, a Chinese online ticketing platform.

As more theaters reopen, big discounts are on offer to attract virus-weary viewers back.

"We strategically cut ticket prices in the early stage of rescreening," said Li, the cinema manager, adding that the tickets for the laser-based IMAX screenings, which were previously priced between 90 to 180 yuan (about 13 to 26 U.S. dollars), are now selling for 45 yuan. Membership fees are much lower with free tickets thrown in as an extra perk.

According to Li, the screening lineup mainly features new titles, including "Dolittle" and "Bloodshot" – the first new Hollywood productions that hit the market on July 24 – and "A First Farewell," which was first released on the reopening day of July 20. This is supplemented by re-screening films.

The upcoming list will include highly-anticipated works such as British war film "1917," as well as old fan favorites like the "Harry Potter" franchise and "Interstellar."

"With cinemas offering low prices and high market demand, recovery will happen at a faster rate," reads the Maoyan report.

Li and her colleagues are looking forward to the "viewing peak."

"In the beginning, no one ever thought the closure would last half a year," said the manager, adding that being back in service feels like "a reboot for every filmmaker."

"It's a restart, even a rebirth." 

 

Reporter and director: Hong Yaobin

Videographer: Fu Gaoliang

Video editor: Wang Zengzheng

Copy editors: Nadim Diab, Khushboo Razdan

Cover image designer: Du Chenxin