FILMS
9:36 PM PDT 7/15/2020
by
Patrick Brzeski
Theaters in the Middle Kingdom have been closed since January 23 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Theaters in China, the world’s second-largest theater film market, received the official green light on Thursday to resume business starting July 20.
The China Film Administration issued the notice around noon in Beijing, sparking an instant celebration across the country’s film community. Theaters in the Middle Kingdom have been closed since January 23 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The nearly six months of closure have plunged many studios and exhibition companies into severe financial coercion, if not bankruptcy.
However, not all cinemas in China will open at once. Film Administration directive says theaters in areas “at low risk” for coronavirus infection will be able to “resume business on July 20 in an orderly manner”, but complexes in “medium and high risk regions must remain temporarily closed. ” The wording of the notification suggested that the party’s provincial leaders will be responsible for assessing the level of risk in their own region. It was unclear what thresholds or criteria would be used to define risk levels.
All theaters that resume their activities must follow a series of “epidemic control measures”. The stringency of security measures suggests that China’s battered exhibition sector may be slow to recover even if public demand is high. The new rules include a 30 percent limit on seating capacity and a 50 percent reduction from the usual number of exams performed per day. Customers will have their door temperature checked, masks will be compulsory and disinfection will be carried out regularly. Other requirements range from the financially onerous to the slightly bizarre, such as a ban on all concession sales and a rule requiring that any film shown be no longer than two hours. All tickets must be sold in advance through digital contactless platforms.
With reopening permission given just days before the start date, it was not immediately clear what multiplex movies in regions designated as “low risk” would be available to be screened on Monday. Exhibitors contacted by Hollywood reporter Thursday afternoon he said they anticipated initially screening classic films and remaining titles that were approved for release before the pandemic.
A series of Hollywood titles were approved in early January, but did not hit the screen before the pandemic closed theaters. They included several Oscar-nominated films, such as Little woman, 1917, Jojo Rabbit and Marriage storyas well as some commercial stores like Sonic the Hedgehog and Bad Boys for Life.
