Record Chinese box office figures are giving domestic theaters hope

Posted on February 26, 2021

By MARK VIOLA

With vaccination efforts hitting their stride in many places, including here in Taylor County, we seem to be finally approaching the proverbial light at the end of a nearly year-long COVID-19 tunnel, even if we can’t exactly see it yet.

This has had me wondering just what the post-COVID world might end up looking like, and of course, on this page, my focus is targeted at entertainment, and more specifically, movies. Until recently, I haven’t had much reason to paint a rosy picture for the future of movie theaters, but some new developments from China over the past two weeks just might entice me to reach for a brighter palette.

Since theaters shut down last March, one of the biggest questions I’ve heard is whether or not people will return to the pre-COVID tradition of seeing movies together in multiplexes. I’ve personally heard opinions on both ends of the spectrum, ranging from “movie theaters are dead” to people will flock back to them in droves as soon as they can safely do so.

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