KUALA LUMPUR: With cinemas across the globe remaining closed amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, some cinemas in China have come up with creative ideas to offset their expenses.
Entertainment portal JayneStars reported yesterday that as cinemas in China struggle to stay afloat, they looked to finding new sources of revenue by "adapting to the pandemic".
As the pandemic worsened beginning March, many cinemas sold snacks and drinks to get rid of inventories with an expiry date.
While these business changes generated some income for the cinemas, the amount could barely cover operating costs.
Other cinemas leased their premises to wedding photography studios to attract moviegoers who rented their premises for photo shoots.
The owners of a cinema in Hubei set up outdoor food stalls to attract fans. The food stalls are doing well, receiving nearly 5,000 orders per day.
As for cinema employees who lost their jobs, many are now in the insurance industry and have also started online businesses, making good use of their knowledge of the film industry.
One creative former employee has even capitalised on themes from popular Chinese movies to sell foodstuffs and merchandise at his new shop.
Although many cinemas have found ways to adapt to the "new normal", many others have not been able to do so, especially since reopening has been continuously delayed.
According to a survey released by the China Film Association, if cinemas cannot be reopened in the short term, there will be heavy financial losses.
This year, box office earnings are projected to be at 6 billion Chinese yuan (RM3.6 billion), a decrease of 91 per cent from 2019, due to the pandemic.