It is getting increasingly difficult to gauge the effect of Coronavirus on the Cinema. Indian Cinema is going to restart its operations by starting the shootings. The theaters are likely to re-open from August. On the other side, no one knows if we are taking the right path in regards to the opening.
Meanwhile, there is shocking news from China. A new study from local film industry associations reveals that more than 40% of surveyed Chinese cinemas say they are “very likely to close” in the near future due to the impact of coronavirus. They conduct a survey of 187 theaters
42% of participating cinemas believe they are “very likely to close” in the near future. 10% would see an ownership change for survival. Theaters in China were shut down for 130 days now. They are going to re-open soon but it is too late for many theaters which are already headed towards bankruptcy.
If we extrapolate the survey to all the 69,800 cinema screens in operation in China, a 40% closure could, therefore, mean the loss of 5,000 venues and 27,920 screens.
