Big Movie Releases Announced in China in the Wake of COVID-19

In what critics are hailing as a further sign of the gradual recovery of the world's second-biggest box office market, an increasing number of major film productions are unveiling their theatrical release dates for China in the wake of a major downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

RELEASE DATES

Christopher Nolan's latest sci-fi action feature film "Tenet," with a reported budget of more than US$ 200 million, is set to land in Chinese mainland theaters on September 4, according to a Weibo post from Warner Bros.

"Inception," a 2010 film by the British director, is slated for an August 28 re-release.

"Little Women," a Sony film whose Chinese mainland release was postponed due to COVID-19, has secured a new release date, expected to hit theaters on August 25.

It is a new feature film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel of the same name and is directed by Greta Gerwig, an American actress, screenwriter and film director.

"The Eight Hundred," a Chinese war epic film, is set to hit the big screen on August 21. It will be the first major Chinese production to hit movie theaters since the COVID-19 outbreak.

ENCOURAGING SIGNS

After months-long closures meant to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus, movie theaters were given the green light to reopen from July 20 onward in several parts of China deemed to be low-risk areas, with strict coronavirus containment measures implemented to ensure everyone’s safety.

The measures include a 30-percent limit on the usual total attendance capacity and asking people who do not know each other to remain at least one meter apart from one another, as per social distancing requirements.

Most films screened to date have either been re-releases or small-scale domestic and international titles, yet weekly box-office sales have posted robust growth.

Chinese mainland box-office revenue for the seven days from July 27 to August 2 totaled RMB 197 million (US$ 28 million), up 79% compared with the previous week, according to figures compiled by China Film News. Theaters welcomed 6.9 million moviegoers during the same period, up 65% week-on-week.

Among the re-releases was Christopher Nolan's “Interstellar" this past Sunday. The re-run of the 2014 space blockbuster has generated box-office revenue of more than RMB 50 million as of Friday, bringing its total Chinese mainland box office worth to RMB 800 million, according to Maoyan, a movie-ticketing platform.

The total sales figure for the two weeks starting July 20 was RMB 330 million, a relatively low number compared with last year's annual total of more than RMB 64 billion. However, given the attendance cap in place to contain COVID-19, figures from the first two weeks are encouraging and suggest growing enthusiasm among Chinese moviegoers, according to Ming Zhenjiang, head of the China Film Producers' Association.

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Have you been to the movies recently? Anything on your radar that you look forward to seeing? Let us know in the comments section below!

Source: xinhua

Editor: Crystal H

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