Mass withdrawal of blockbuster movies from Chinese cinemas in wake of Wuhan virus outbreak

With concern over the Wuhan virus outbreak growing by the minute, authorities around the world are doing their best to contain the outbreak.

On January 23, it was announced that the nationwide release of seven blockbuster movies would be cancelled. The movies were originally scheduled to be released over the Chinese New Year holidays, which typically brings in high box-office takings.

Last year, the total box office takings over the Chinese New Year period in China was RMB5.8 billion (S$1.13 billion). This amounted for nearly 20% of the country's box office takings for the entire year.

Movies that were withdrawn from Chinese cinemas include The Rescue, which stars Hong Kong actor Eddie Peng, Detective Chinatown 3, which stars Chinese actors Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran, Vanguard, which stars Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan as well as Leap, Legend of Deification, Boonie Bears: The Wild Life, Lost in Russia, and more.

Of the movies mentioned, Detective Chinatown 3 is estimated to suffer the most losses, as it had sold over S$40 million worth of tickets in the days leading up to its release. The Rescue, which reportedly cost S$100 million to produce, is estimated to lose money as well.

Photos: PBE Media