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Over 500 Cinemas In China Reopen As Coronavirus Cases Drop

By Michael Bamidele

23 March 2020   |   1:41 pm

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More than 500 cinemas in China have reopened as the country experiences a sharp decline in the number of coronavirus cases. According to financial publication Caixin, a total of 507 cinemas across China reopened as of March 21. This number represents less than 5% of the total number of cinemas operating in the country prior…

Cinemas in China are reopening as coronavirus cases recede. | Image: AsiaTimes

More than 500 cinemas in China have reopened as the country experiences a sharp decline in the number of coronavirus cases.

According to financial publication Caixin, a total of 507 cinemas across China reopened as of March 21. This number represents less than 5% of the total number of cinemas operating in the country prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus.

People are, however, not keen on returning to such public spaces as Variety reports that the nationwide tickets sales on Friday totalled less than $2,000 (₦734,000). In Fujian and Guangdong, two coastal regions bordering Hong Kong with populations of over 38.56 million and 113.4 million respectively, not a single ticket was sold.

The cinemas are currently showing old box office hits, rather than new releases.

In January, China shut down thousands of cinemas across the country in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus which broke out in the city of Wuhan.

Meanwhile, China on Monday reported that there had been no new indigenous cases of the novel coronavirus in the country, though there were 39 new imported cases, according to China’s National Health Commission.

This marks the fifth successive day with no new infections in Wuhan city, where the virus was first reported in December last year.

According to Johns Hopkins University, as of today, 23rd of March, the number of people across the world who have died after contracting coronavirus stands at 15,308. The worldwide number of confirmed cases currently stands at 349,211.