Page 39 - Varsity Special Issue

36 / Lifestyle / 37

Surviving Cinemas
Sur v iving Cinemas third and fourth-tier cities in China.
Cinemas will not disappear,” Fung
says.
Peter also shares Fung’s view. He
believes cinema is irreplaceable. “We
in China By Alice Wang in Shandong have faith in cinemas although we are
facing various kinds of challenges.
Only cinemas can create a unique
share of space for audience to appreci-
Cinemas in China are facing hardship caused by COVID-19. ate movies and exchange views,” Peter
says.
Movie lover Jeff * also thinks the
ovie lover Shi Xueyan is experience of watching movies is dif-
happy that he can watch ferent from watching movies online at
Mfilms at movie theatres A cinema in Y an tai, Shando ng Pro vince . home. “When you sit inside a movie
A cinema in Yantai, Shandong Province.
again without worrying about COV- operation of movie theatres in China,” theatre, the sights, smells and atmos-
ID-19. Fung says. phere enrich the whole experience. I
“Everyone can buy tickets online Fung also suggests the government do not just pay for watching a film, I
in advance with one’s real name. Au- introducing short-term relief meas- “
diences all wear masks and seats are ures for cinemas. “The government
not fully used. Cinema staffs check can offer rental discount or waive for Going to a cinema
everyone’s body temperature at the cinemas using government land,” he
entrance and disinfect theatres regu- says. is a pilgrimage.
larly,” he says. According to news reports by Peo-
Movie theatres reopened on July ple’s Daily, a state-owned publication,
20 as COVID-19 restrictions were revenue from box-office in the year of
lifted in China. Old movies were put 2019 reached RMB ¥64.266 billion. ”
on screen to warm up the market and But the figure dropped to zero from
discounted tickets were offered for January 24 to July 20 in 2020 as all
promotion. A First Farewell was the of the 12,000 cinemas in China were also pay for the atmosphere a cinema
first movie put on screen after tempo- forced to close due to the pandemic. creates,” he says.
rary closure which began on January No one lines up for movie tickets. China Film Association finds that 40 “The experience of watching a
vie tickets.
o o
N
or mo
ne lines u
p f
24 and a record of RMB ¥1.5 million per cent of them are facing bankrupt- movie in a cinema is so different
in box-office was reported on the first cy. from watching a movie online. It is
screening day. for no more than 30 per cent of thea- income cannot cover rents and other Another obstacle that cinemas are not about the movie story itself, but
But cinema operators are still fac- tre’s seats from July 20 to August 14. expenses,” Peter says. facing is competition from stream- the immersive cinematic atmosphere
ing hardship. “The box office of Chinese cine- Professor Anthony Fung Ying- ing platforms. Peter says: “Chinese and the collective experience. For us,
Peter*, manager of a cinema chain mas performed better after the release him, professor at the School of Jour- streaming platforms Iqiyi and Ten- movie fans, a cinema is like a palace.
in China, says profits from re-screen- of a Chinese war movie, The Eight nalism and Communication at The cent have struck a blow to cinemas as Going to a cinema to watch a movie is
This is a screenshot of an online plat-
ing old movies is very limited because Hundred on August 21. But cinemas Chinese University of Hong Kong, This is a screenshot o f an o nline plat - more movie lovers watch movies at a pilgrimage,” Jeff says.
f
y tickets.
orm where audiences can bu
only very few cinema fans like watch- still cannot make ends meet because points out Chinese cinemas need to form where audiences can buy tickets. home. While cinemas are suffering, *Names changed at requests of in-
ing old movies at movie theatres. of government regulation,” Peter says. “ these streaming platforms are profit- terviewees.
“Many consumers think it is a Cinemas now are allowed to sell diversify movie sources, rather ing since demand for home entertain-
waste of money to see a re-run film 75 per cent seats in each movie house. Cinemas than relying too much on Hollywood ment has jumped during the pandem-
as they can watch these online. They “Before the outbreak of COVID-19, movies from America to attract audi- ic.”
are interested in the latest blockbuster more than 70 films were shown in one can’t make ends ences. But Fung believes online media
movies such as Mulan. So, film source day at one cinema, but now the num- “Hollywood movies such as Mar- platforms cannot replace movie thea-
is the most important,” Peter says. ber is cut by half. Cinemas also can- meet. vel’s The Avengers contribute a lot to tres. “Televisions have not replaced
Apart from film source, govern- not make money by renting out cin- Chinese box-office. But the reduction radios and cinemas. Also, cinemas are
ment regulation also hurt cinema ema venues as many companies have of imported blockbusters caused by not only a venue to watch movies but
business. Cinemas only sold tickets cancelled business activities. Many the tense Sino-US relations will affect
theatres are losing money, as their ” also a social platform, especially for