Not too long ago, China was in pretty bad shape. They had a large number of COVID-19 cases on their hands and their hospitals were essentially overrun. The country then did the unthinkable — they closed virtually all theaters for weeks, putting an unprecedented halt on the international box office. All of a sudden, those big movies Hollywood relied on China to be successful had to be pushed back. This led to the delay of Mulan among many others, but we had no real idea when theaters would come back.

As of this writing, we are still in unfamiliar territory. That being said, it does appear that the COVID-19 virus has let up a bit in China. At the very least, it’s let up enough for them to start opening up some theaters once again. It may just be a small fraction of their entire exhibitor industry, but it is a start. 

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As I have previously reported the plan has never been for China to jump in headfirst into the whole theatrical release thing. They, instead, are starting with films that have already been released. These films will have 100% of the revenue stick with the exhibitors, and they have been encouraged to price their tickets accordingly. The hope is for them to do so while still doing their best to adhere to Beijing safety measures. 

From here, we can expect a new wave of movies to hit around mid-April. These will be Hollywood movies that were already cleared for exhibition before the shutdown. This includes movies like 1917, Dolittle, Ford v Ferrari, Jojo Rabbit, Bad Boys For Life, and Sonic the Hedgehog. If all goes well, they will have gained momentum come May 1, allowing them to push forward with newer movies.

Like many, I’m hoping this isn’t a premature move from China. A part of me worries they’re acting too soon and that this could ultimately lead to a relapse of sorts. But, hopefully, this slow ramp up will help keep the country safe and the industry moving forward.

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SOURCE: Deadline