China Will Finally Reopen Cinemas This Month

Barring another outbreak, cinephiles in China may yet again find themselves in front of the big screen. The China Film Administration (CFA) announced via its website Thursday that the country’s movie theaters could begin opening to the public as early as Jul 20, as long as they are located in low-risk areas. As of Jul 16, Beijing has just four medium-risk areas, all of which are in Fengtai district, and no high-risk areas remaining.

Movie theaters have been the subject of much online debate as insiders have insisted that forced closures are doing undue damage to China's film industry. Of course, movie makers are adept at playing up drama, and it seems this time, it really has gotten them their way.

As we are accustomed to expect at this point, the reopenings will be accompanied by strict policies that aim to make the cinema a safe place for movie-goers.

According to the document released by the CFA, cinemas will have to keep track of employee health, perform regular disinfections between screenings, and provide good ventilation. Moreover, screening times will be reduced and are limited to a maximum of two hours per screening.

Critically, ticket sales will be moved online, and a minimum of one meter between viewers who do not book together is required, meaning that there will be significantly less seating available.

The document does not mention requirements about mask-wearing for viewers, but the CFA wrote on its website that cinemas must adhere to local requirements. As of yet, there is no word from the city about whether it will implement stricter policies for cinemas than the national standard.

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Images: Felix Mooneeram (via UNSPLASH), Sina