AFTER an unprecedented two-month shutdown of the world’s second-largest film market, China’s cinemas will bring back popular movies to tempt back audiences. Last week, Warner Bros. Pictures announced on its Weibo account that a restored 4K re-release of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” will soon be returning to Chinese theaters in 3-D. However, no release date has yet been set, due to the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The film, which hit Chinese theaters in 2002 and grossed 56 million yuan (US$8 million), will likely tempt nostalgic fans back to cinemas. On Weibo, many fans expressed their excitement as well as demands for the entire franchise to be rereleased. The franchise ended with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” in 2011. “Harry Potter” is not the only movie to return. China Film Co. has also selected a batch of films for rerelease after the epidemic subsides, including Chinese movies “American Dreams in China” (2013), “Wolf Totem” (2015), “Wolf Warriors 2” (2017), “The Wandering Earth” (2019) and Lebanese director Nadine Labaki’s “Capharnaum” (2018). All five movies were box-office hits and received highly positive reviews. China Film Co. announced that cinemas will keep all income from the rereleases in order to revive the country’s film market after long closures due to coronavirus. China’s cinemas were shut down right before Chinese Lunar New Year in late January, the world’s most profitable film season. Nearly all new Chinese blockbusters were canceled, except “Lost in Russia,” which chose to debut online. China Film Co. further suggested that Chinese cinemas could set low prices for the films, which would benefit audiences. Comparing the box office gross data of the first quarter year on year, China’s film market has so far lost 1.65 billion yuan. Many cities have put out similar notices and policies to support the local cultural and film industries. At the same time, authorities have issued guidelines for cinemas on how to clean up, disinfect and ventilate their venues.(SD-Agencies) | 