Chinese moviegoers have become more eager to return to theaters in recent weeks, which is a good sign for the future of the box office
- The Chinese ticket service Maoyan and the China Film Association found that 72% of respondents to a new survey were "eager to return to cinemas after the reopen," up from 54% who said the same thing in February.
- 59% of respondents identified strict health precautions as a factor that would go into their decision to return to theaters, though.
- China's movie theaters have been closed since late January and the region's box office was down by nearly $2 billion in the first two months of the year.
- More than 500 of China's theaters had reopened last month, but were quickly ordered to close again by China's Film Bureau.
- Most theaters in the US are also closed. The analytics company EDO surveyed more than 6,000 people in the US last month and found that 45% of respondents said they were "highly likely" to see a movie at a theater once they reopened.
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China's 70,000 movie theaters have largely been closed since late January because of coronavirus concerns and audiences in the region are ready to return, according to a new survey conducted by the Chinese ticket service Maoyan and the China Film Association.
72% of those who responded said they were "eager to return to cinemas after they reopen," an increase from 54% of respondents who answered the same for the last survey in February.
However, 59% of respondents identified strict health precautions as a factor that would go into their decision to return to theaters. 58% labeled ticket price discounts and 40% said they would take into account the quality of the movies released.
It still suggests good news for China's film business, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. Theaters closed during the weekend of the Chinese New Year, which is typically the country's busiest moviegoing time. The Chinese box office, which is the second biggest in the world behind the US, was down by nearly $2 billion in the first two months of the year compared to the same time period last year.
There was a glimmer of hope last month when more than 500 of China's theaters had reopened, suggesting coronavirus fears were starting to dissipate. But the local Film Bureau quickly ordered all theaters to close again without any explanation, multiple outlets reported in late March, including Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, suggesting concerns over a second coronavirus wave.
Theaters in the US have mostly gone dark, too, to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. As a result, the box office has come to a halt and studios have delayed big-screen releases. They've also released movies that were recently in theaters to digital platforms early. The most drastic step taken has been Universal's decision to release "Trolls World Tour" on premium video-on-demand services day-and-date with its planned theatrical release over the weekend.
Analytics company EDO surveyed 6,809 people in the US last month and found that 45% of respondents said they were "highly likely" to see a movie at a theater once they reopened and nearly 30% said they were "somewhat likely." Just under 20% said they were unsure.
This bodes well for movie theaters, but the survey suggested it won't be an immediate rebound. About 45% of those surveyed said that they would wait "a few weeks" after theaters reopened to go to one and just over 10% said they would wait "several months."
But the change in attitude among Chinese moviegoers could reflect the same for those in the US over time. More people in China are now ready to return to theaters than they were a month ago. As time passes and coronavirus concerns ease in the US, more people than there were at the time of EDO's initial survey may say they are ready to see a movie in theaters and would be willing to return earlier than expected after they reopen.