China's $9-billion movie box office is reopening after six months of shutdown
China is home to a huge movie industry that generated more than $9 billion in box office sales last year — second only to the United States
China's massive box office began to reopen on Monday after the coronavirus pandemic spurred a shutdown lasting roughly six months.
The China Film Administration announced late last week that movie theaters in "low-risk" areas could reopen from Monday with a few precautions, reports the CNN.
Audience members are required to wear masks and take temperature checks, and cinemas are expected to operate at 30% capacity. Eating and drinking in the theater is also prohibited.
The "low-risk" requirement effectively means that most of the country should be able to reopen cinemas, according to the Global Times, a state-run tabloid.
Ticket sales for Monday's box office surpassed 2.8 million yuan ($400,000) just before 5 pm local time, according to Maoyan, a major Chinese ticketing platform.
The Chinese film "A First Farewell," about a boy from Xinjiang, along with the 2017 Pixar film "Coco" and the Chinese thriller "Sheep Without A Shepherd" grossed the most in pre-sales, according to the Global Times.
China is home to a huge movie industry that generated more than $9 billion in box office sales last year — second only to the United States.