As the coronavirus reportedly continues to abate in China, film authorities are taking an everything old is new again approach. As of last count there were about 500 movie theaters open in the world’s second biggest box office hub. And as this expands, some of them may soon be playing such favorites as the Avengers pics. And, for those who are still trying to figure it out, they’ll have a new shot at Inception.
As we reported last week, the Hollywood studios have been approached about releasing catalogue titles into the Middle Kingdom as it gets back on its feet. This is after shutdown of the entire 70K screen infrastructure in late January.
We understand that it is up to the authorities, but that at least four Avengers movies are rebooting beginning this weekend and going through June. These are based on local reports; Disney has not responded to a request for comment.
Confirmed, though without specific dates, are new releases of Warner Bros’ Interstellar and Inception, both of which were hits locally.
This past weekend saw 500+ cinemas opened, and the hope is that getting back to normal will continue. Says a source, “I think it’s more about getting audiences comfortable with going to the cinema… People are going to have to be convinced.”