China to select theaters nationwide to show propaganda films

China plans to select 5,000 movie theaters to screen propaganda films and will boost their box office with group sales, discounted tickets and other financial backing. The notice from the nation’s film regulator said the policy is intended to promote specific movies at special times to create a “people’s theater front,” a throwback to language used during the era of Mao Zedong. In keeping with the ruling Communist Party’s latest initiatives, the policy intends to “guide thought and educate the people,” said the statement, which was stamped Jan. 30. Copies of it were posted yesterday to Chinese websites that cover the entertainment industry. The number of theaters accounts for roughly 10 percent of China’s total, with quotas issued for each major city, province and autonomous region.

Categories China