As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to grip the globe, China's film bureau has decided to re-shutter the country's theaters after new cases of the disease were reported.
According to Deadline, the country’s national film bureau contacted exhibitors demanding their venues remain closed or re-close, with the organization giving no timeframe for re-opening. News of the shutdown began spreading across China's popular social media service Weibo, and the decision came as a surprise to many after a new wave of re-openings were set for this weekend.
Just last weekend, over 500 theaters had opened up across the country, even though there was little profit made. Meanwhile, one of China's major cities, Shanghai, was set to re-open over 205 theaters before the order was given.
Until this week, China had seen a slowdown in coronavirus cases. However, there appeared to a spike in imported cases, with approximately 53 being reported on March 26 coming from overseas. The Chinese government has decided to stop foreign citizens from entering the country to prevent a second wave of the disease.
Before the re-shutter announcement, Chinese theaters were set to host re-releases of Avatar and the Avengers saga in order to boost the country's box office revenue.