(Yicai Global) Dec. 19 -- More than 80 percent of movie theaters in the Chinese mainland have been open for two straight days, after many regions of the country eased their Covid-19 prevention and control measures.

Eighty-three percent were open yesterday, with the figure at about 84 percent on Dec. 17, up from 47 percent on Dec. 4, according to cinema data app Dengta.

With restrictions on entering cinemas lifted, except for the wearing of face masks, people with Covid-19 can go see movies, an issue that has sparked controversy, though the National Health Commission's latest guidelines said they should stay away.

Negative polymerase chain reaction test results are no longer needed to enter cinemas, the Beijing Municipal Film Administration announced on Dec. 7, asking the city’s district-level administrations to reopen cinemas in a conditional, step-by-step, safe, orderly, and dynamic manner.

But ticket sales have not yet recovered, as people are hesitant to return to cinemas, the manager of a theater in Chengdu told Yicai Global. Many films, including Avatar: The Way of Water, had mediocre presales, the person noted.

The sequel of James Cameron's sci-fi movie Avatar grossed CNY400 million (USD57.4 million) in China in the four days following its premiere on Dec. 16, according to film data tracker Maoyan. Nearly eight out of 10 screenings in Chinese cinemas yesterday were of Avatar: The Way of Water.

Editors: Xu Wei, Futura Costaglione