Movie theaters in Mexico hit hard by pandemic

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Mexico has a large movie-going public. As theaters slowly reopen starting on March 1st, there is concern that the pandemic will leave some theaters bankrupt. CGTN’s Franc Contreras reports from Mexico City.

Before the pandemic, Mexico had the world’s 4th largest number of box-office sales – behind China, India, and the United States.

But with the virus still taking lives here, Mexico’s government issued strict rules that allow for just 20% occupancy of seats.

In 2019, Cinemex sold 111 Million tickets. In 2020, the number of movie tickets this national chain sold dropped more than 80 percent – to just 18 million. Some fear that Cinemex might close permanently.

The CEO of Cinemex hopes to reopen in June, perhaps in time to show a forthcoming Godzilla film.

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