Cinemas have been shut down and blockbuster films slated for a prestigious Chinese New Year release postponed amid fears of the deadly Coronavirus spreading further.
A third city was placed on lockdown over fears the virus could soon mutate, with a total of 20 million people thought to have been cut off from neighbouring cities due to the extensive quarantine.
Now, the production company behind the ¥700million CNY (£76m) blockbuster The Rescue has confirmed the release of the film will be postponed until the situation in China is under control and viewers can safely view the movie in cinemas.
The international release of The Rescue – which focuses on a story of China’s Coast Guard rescue organisation, with an all-star cast of top Chinese talent including Eddie Peng, Wang Yanlin, Xin Zhilei and Lan Yingying – is also in question, with the UK set to start rolling the film in local cinemas from Friday.
It’s hoped once the situation improves in China, the film will make its way to audiences internationally.
A statement from ‘Every time there’s a disaster, there are heroes who rise to the occasion, and The Rescue tells the stories of these unsung heroes. In the midst of the current coronavirus outbreak, we salute the courageous health-care workers on the front lines and all of the other real-life heroes who are dedicated to saving lives and inspired The Rescue.’
It continued: ‘In order to avoid exposing our audience to any unnecessary health risks and prevent the potential spread of coronavirus, after much careful consideration, CMC Pictures has made the decision to postpone the international release of The Rescue until further notice.
‘As much as we’ve been looking forward to bringing you this film, at the end of the day, nothing is more important to us than your health and safety.’
The statement added they were already contacted cinemas and ticketing channels to arrange refunds for pre-purchased seats.
Other films that have had their release postponed include Detective Chinatown 3 and Jackie Chan-starring Vanguard. It’s been reported seven films are currently affected.
It comes after authorities in Ezhou halted trains, buses and subways in an attempt to contain the mysterious new disease, which has now killed 17 people.
It comes after Wuhan – the epicentre of the epidemic – was put on lockdown, followed by Huanggang.
Chinese officials have warned the bug could mutate and become even deadlier as it continues to spread.
Singapore confirmed its first case of the disease today after a man, 66, tested positive while visiting.
The new form of coronavirus has is thought to have infected 4,000 people and has also spread to Japan, the US, Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan. Today it emerged that an American man who caught the airborne virus had close contact with 16 people before he was put in isolation.
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