Beijing cinemas are planning to issue 900,000 coupons to moviegoers to encourage them to watch patriotic and propaganda movies in the run-up to the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the Chinese state.
From Sept.1 to Sept. 20, after buying a full price ticket for a domestic film at any cinema in Beijing, moviegoers will receive one of the coupons, said Wang Jian, an official with the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Radio and Television, told local media.
“About 900,000 people are expected to go to the cinema during this time,” said Mr Wang.
From Oct. 1 to Nov. 30, audiences holding a coupon will have to pay only 10 yuan ($1.50) for a ticket to any movie being shown, compared with an average ticket price of 34 yuan, he said.
The National Day celebration and the Mid-Autumn Festival will be combined to create an eight-day holiday, from October 1st to 8th, which will be the longest “Golden Week” holiday yet in China.
The measure should give a big boost to what is expected to be China’s biggest movie of the year, "The Great Cause of China's Foundation," a propaganda extravaganza celebrating the foundation of the People's Republic of China six decades ago. It is due to open on Sept. 19 and stars more than 100 big-name mainland and Hong Kong stars including Jet Li, Jackie Chan and Andy Lau.
A string of patriotic films is scheduled for screening from September through October to mark the big day.
“We will hold special screenings of films for orphans, children of migrant workers, and model workers from Aug. 30,” Wang said. “We hope all residents are able to share the achievements of China's film industry during the past 60 years.”
Source:
Variety
