Box office exceeded 250 million yuan in 12 days
The cultural and entertainment industry has a long road to recovery
Text/Wingsenberg
Issued on 2020.8.10, the total issue is in the 959 issue of China News Weekly
On July 20, the Chinese cinema, which was closed for nearly 180 days due to the new crown pneumonia epidemic, ushered in the first day of restart. As of July 28, the resumption rate of cinemas nationwide was close to half. In addition, the box office in the first week of the resumption of work reached 110 million yuan, and the cumulative box office nationwide on the 12th of the resumption of work (as of August 1) has exceeded 250 million yuan.
At the same time, with the addition of more new films such as "The Arrival Mystery", "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Mr. Miao", the national box office on July 31 increased by nearly 10 million compared with the previous Friday (July 24). 29.05 million yuan. Under the influence of unfavorable factors such as attendance rate not exceeding 30%, daily film scheduling halved, and average viewing time not exceeding two hours (intermissions will be arranged for ultra-long films), the speed and efficiency of movie theaters' resumption of work are still far beyond those in the industry expected.
For theaters that have been in a crisis of survival since January, such positive data is undoubtedly the brightest line of happiness behind the dark cloud. Affected by the epidemic, the Spring Festival stalls and Valentine's Day stalls, which occupy important positions in the box office throughout the year, have been in vain. The three small holiday periods of Qingming, May Day and Dragon Boat Festival have also been missed in the ongoing epidemic. For theaters in the asset-heavy industry, the pressure to survive after closing their doors and thanking guests has increased dramatically. According to data released by the China Film Association, in the first two months of 2020, at least 2,300 theaters in China will be permanently closed, with 12,000 screens behind them, accounting for nearly 20% of China's theater capacity. Not only that, 40% of movie theaters across the country may be completely closed as a result. From this perspective, the resumption of work order and unexpected movie viewing data are undoubtedly the most effective stimulus for theaters with severe blood loss.
At the same time, the unexpected data also means that the desire to watch movies that has been suppressed for a long time is being released quickly. After 12 days of resumption of work, more than 7.18 million movie tickets were sold nationwide, showing a huge demand for offline viewing. According to Maoyan's survey data, the audience's expectation index for movie theater viewing has increased from 54% in February to 88% in May. In addition, although since the epidemic, many movies have chosen to be broadcast from theater platforms to online platforms, most of them have not achieved ideal viewing traffic except for "囧Mom". This again highlights the irreplaceability of offline viewing. Some cinema professionals said when interviewed by the media that what they are most happy about is not how much income they can get, "it is that the audience has not forgotten us or abandoned us."
In addition to cinemas, the film festival, which is an important communication and publicity platform for the film and television industry, is also back on the road. On July 26, China’s only international category A film festival-the Shanghai International Film Festival opened; on the same day, the 14th Xining FIRST Youth Film Festival opened; on July 28, the official announcement of the 10th Beijing International Film Festival Opening on August 22. The restart of these large-scale events with international influence is the best proof that China's entertainment industry is gradually getting rid of the impact of the epidemic and getting back on track.
Industry insiders expect that in October, with the opening of the National Day file and the gradual verification of the normalized prevention and control measures of cinemas, the attendance rate is expected to return to the level of the same period of the previous year. By then, the high-quality movies that have accumulated in the first half of the year will be released together. Expected to usher in late "retaliatory consumption". However, the current Chinese New Year's head film "Win the Championship", "Chinatown Detective 3", "Jiang Ziya" and other films, as well as many commercial blockbusters in the summer, are still undecided. At the same time, the domestic epidemic has rebounded in some regions, which is also testing the fragile nerves of the industry.
China News Weekly, Issue 29, 2020
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