Box-office outing

"The following two weeks will be very important for the recovery of the market. We estimate that box-office revenues will rise to around two-thirds of the amount in the same period last year," says Li.

Most of the films being screened are classics or previous runaway hits, including the Chinese crime drama Sheep Without a Shepherd, Oscar winner Coco and China's all-time highest-grossing animated title, Ne Zha.

But figures show that audiences are more willing to return to cinemas for fresh content.

Dolittle, Robert Downey Jr's first film since he left Marvel superhero films as the iconic character Iron Man, topped the weekend box office in China, followed by sci-fi action film Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel. The two Hollywood films were scheduled to be released in China in February but were delayed due to the pandemic.

A First Farewell, showing the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region's natural scenery through the perspective of three children, and the documentary Bright Torch, which tells the story of artisans, are the only two new Chinese films released on July 20, the first day Chinese cinemas in low-risk areas were allowed to reopen.