(Yicai Global) Nov. 23 -- Movie theaters in China are having to come up with other activities to make money, as box office takings are down 37 percent so far this year amid the impact of Covid-19 on the film industry.

China’s cinemas are having to adapt due to recurring outbreaks of the coronavirus in the country, which was the world’s biggest movie market by revenue last year. Some of the new ideas to help them get by include lunch-time relaxation sessions and live performances.

For only CNY9.90 (USD1.40), one cinema in Suzhou, Jiangsu province offers a small bucket of popcorn, a small soda, and a warm blanket to use while relaxing or napping on comfortable armchairs between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., Monday to Friday.

At another in Chengdu, Sichuan province customers can take a nap while applying steam eye masks for CNY12.90 (USD1.80) and get a hot drink for an extra CNY6.

China’s box office takings have slipped this year. As of yesterday, the figure stood at CNY29.7 billion (USD4.2 billion), far below the CNY47.3 billion recorded for the same period of 2021, after movie releases tumbled 42 percent to 289 as of Nov. 18, compared with 495 a year earlier.

Some China Wanda Group cinemas, such as those in Dalian and Beijing's Tongzhou district, have also begun hosting stand-up comedy and children's plays. The marketing department of Suning Cinema, a unit of electronics retailer Suning.Com, has launched a 'cinema plus' strategy to transform movie theaters into venues for live-action role games, children's plays, and stand-up comedy.

But not every idea has panned out. The stand-up comedy events were cancelled in some cities because not enough people were interested, the manager of one Suning Cinema told Yicai Global.

Editor: Futura Costaglione