The releases of all new movies this week in China have been cancelled as a response to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. The move is a massive blow for the Chinese film industry.
Seven major films were expected to have been released over the coming weekend, with the likelihood that together they would have earned more than $1 billion, in just a few days. All seven have been cancelled, though holdover titles may continue to be available.
The new strain of coronavirus emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan a few weeks ago, apparently from a fresh food market. Initially it was thought to have involved animal to human infections. But in recent days, it has become clear that human-to-human transmission has occurred.
That development has caused huge worry within China, especially at a time of year when more than 600 million people are expected to travel for the Chinese New Year (aka Spring Festival) holidays. That would have significantly increased the risk of spreading the disease from the Wuhan hotspot to the whole country and overseas.
It is understood that the decision to cancel the new film releases was taken by the film industry — investors and distributors — behind the movies, rather than by a government department such as the National Film Administration or the health department.
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Even before the release cancellation decision, some cinema chains had already begun offering refunds to patrons who wanted to cancel their ticket purchases. The public transport authority in Wuhan announced on Wednesday that all buses and trains in the city, which has a population approaching 10 million, would shut down from 10am local time on Thursday.
Chinese authorities have confirmed more than 500 cases of the disease, and 17 deaths in the country. However other experts have pointed to the number and diversity of infections in other countries, and suggested that this figure is a significant underestimate. The MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London says it believes there must be more than 4,000 cases within China alone.
More to follow.