CHINA’S biggest movies of 2020, which were scheduled to release Friday on the eve of Chinese New Year, have been preemptively pulled from cinemas in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Chinese New Year is the biggest blockbuster period in the world by far, and the coming week was expected to generate as much as US$1 billion in ticket sales.

Distributors and exhibitors in Beijing said that the decision to postpone the releases was made voluntarily by the major Chinese studios. Medical experts in China have warned the public against congregating in crowded places, which distributors naturally interpreted as including cinemas.

The studios behind various tentpoles slated for release Friday and Saturday issued a series of statements on social media in short succession Thursday announcing the cancellations.

Among the big-budget movies that had been set for release were Wanda’s comedy action sequel “Detective Chinatown 3,” Huanxi Media’s comedy tentpole “Lost in Russia,” Jackie Chan’s action flick “Vanguard,” Peter Chan’s sports epic “Leap,” Dante Lam’s action tentpole “The Rescue,” and family animations “Legend of Deification” and “Boonie Bears: The Wild Life.”

Early this week, shares in many of China’s leading film companies plummeted on the local stock markets. Some theater chains began offering refunds to customers who had pre-bought tickets but now wanted to stay home.

“Detective Chinatown 3,” starring fan favorites Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, had been the presales leader prior to the sudden cancellations (“Detective Chinatown 2” earned US$544 million in 2018).

The studio giant put out a statement to the public apologizing for the schedule change and offering refunds. “Safety and health is the common wish of all, and in the face of this epidemic, we have united hands to overcome these difficulties.” The company added that a new release date would be announced at a later time.(SD-Agencies)