Movie theaters remain closed throughout the United States due to the COVID-19 coronavirus crisis, but in China, some are beginning to open their doors again.
More than 500 movie theaters have reopened in China after the novel coronavirus brought the theatrical business to a halt, Variety reports. That's less than 5 percent of the movie theaters there, but it comes as China has reported a drop in its number of new coronavirus cases.
Still, audiences haven't exactly been headed back to these theaters in droves. According to Variety, "box office takings remain minimal," with less than $2,000 in tickets reportedly being sold on Friday and theaters in Fujian and Guangdong selling no tickets at all.
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Deadline reports that "the expectation for China is that theaters will continue to come back online through the end of this month and into April with the overall theatrical re-opening happening in waves." The first wave will involve re-releases of Chinese films like Wolf Warrior 2 and Hollywood films like Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone. This wave is expected to be followed by recent Hollywood movies like Bad Boys For Life and Sonic The Hedgehog, which could hit Chinese theaters in "mid-to-late-April," Deadline says.
Just about every major Hollywood film that was scheduled to be released in the coming weeks has been postponed, though, as most theaters close in the United States. At least one upcoming movie, Trolls World Tour, is set to keep its release date and head to video-on-demand, but others like No Time to Die will wait for a theatrical release later in the year.
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