The significance of reopening cinema houses in China

A reopening cinema in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China, February 6, 2019. /VCG

Editor's note: Haider Rifaat is a writer for the

South China Morning Post,

Arabian Moda magazine,

Good Times magazine and

OK! Pakistan. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

As the world continues to battle COVID-19, China appears to have gravitated in a direction that should inspire many countries to follow. On July 20, we saw cinema houses across China reopen with the exception of a few COVID-19 danger zones.

This move obviously comes with strict standard operating procedures and social distancing measures including wearing face masks. Theater houses in China have imposed an impressive 30-percent limit on the number of seats to offset the potential spread of the virus. Checking temperatures via scanners is a routine practice and so is maintaining a safe distance of one meter.

In addition to these preventive measures, moviegoers are also required to scan a QR code before they enter a theater unit, allowing the specialized staff to detect their location if, under circumstances, someone may be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

As reported on Wednesday, cinemas in some cities of China are allowed to sell up to 50 percent of their tickets

, a further step for revitalizing the film industry and the domestic economy as a whole.

Over the weekend, the Chinese box office amassed 17 million U.S. dollars with Sam Mendes' war film

1917

leading the pack. Movies like Ford vs. Ferrari

, Dolittle

and the re-release of the 2014 science fiction flick Interstellar

also did wonders at the local box office. It seems as if China is playing its part to safely resurrect its economy and resume daily activities with precautions.

China is one of the countries having managedto outdo the severity of coronavirus. Just like China, countries with lesser COVID-19 infections can mirror a similar strategy – reviving the culture of cinema.

The reopening of cinemas with necessary measures seems like a good starting point to get their economies up and running.

It is well-founded how the global economy this year has experienced a major blow since the Great Depression. Countries consumed by the pandemichave had troublesreopening certain sectors of their economies under pressing conditions.

Their foremost priority has been minimizing COVID-19 and its impact. However, states with lesser infections – Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, New Zealand and Japan– can consider reopening cinema houses with strict standard operating procedures, like China, to help revive a dead economy.

However, this incentive may not be ideal for countries that are still battling COVID-19 to the core, like the United States, which tops the list of most infections in the world tallying at more than 5.1 million, followed by Brazil, India, Colombia and South Africa.

A still from Sam Mendes' war film "1917".

It is unfair to underestimate the enormous influence of films on a country's overall economic performance. The U.S. earned $42.5 billion last year from films alone. Similarly, China made millions following the reopening of cinemas.

Having theaters fully functional during a pandemic gives China a cutting-edge to project its soft power image to the world. China is one of the few countries to have revived its theater industry, and that can enable other countries to extract lessons from its success model, and implement similar strategies to get their theaters back in action. This also incentivizes filmmakers to resume work on postponed projects.

It is equally important to ensure that human interaction returns to normalcy. Allowing cinemas in China to operate in full swing has encouraged people to continue life as usual with increased interaction with one another under strict precautions. This trend prompts people to feel accustomed to the new normal.

Sitting idle at home can take a toll on our mental health. Although technology has made it easier to connect with our loved ones, a prolonged trend of online interaction will only do us more harm than good. Thus, reopening of cinemas proves otherwise and achieves a contrarian effect. People can resume their daily drills, communicate with each other and enjoy the experience of watching films they love.

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