Chinese tourists flock to Kinmen for anime movie

Taipei, Aug. 12 (CNA) The Golden Lion Cinema in outlying Kinmen County saw ticket sales surge by more than 50 percent on Aug. 8, driven by an influx of Chinese moviegoers attending the Taiwan premiere of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle."

Chinese anime fans took the ferry from China's Fujian province to Kinmen to watch the film, as Taiwan's premiere date is earlier than in China, according to Cheng Chih-hung (鄭志宏), manager of Wind Lion Plaza, which houses the cinema.

He said that Kinmen follows the same release schedule as Taiwan proper, so Chinese tourists sometimes come to Kinmen to watch movies when Taiwan has an earlier premiere date, which has happened at screenings of "Deadpool" and "Mission Impossible."

Cheng added that both local and visiting moviegoers can be assured of ticket availability, as the theater has six screens, including one with more than 400 seats.

A Kinmen local surnamed Chen (陳) told CNA that he had seen Chinese moviegoers in Kinmen before at the screening of "An Unfinished Film" (一部未完成的電影) by Chinese director Lou Ye (婁燁), which is banned in China.

He said he was happy to see Chinese tourists coming to watch movies in Kinmen, because it helps sustain the cinema.

Addressing concerns that Chinese tourists might crowd out local moviegoers, Kinmen County government said the influx for the Demon Slayer movie was an isolated case, with no reports of locals being unable to buy tickets.

The government said that it will continue to watch out for local residents' rights while welcoming travelers from around the world to attend all kinds of cultural and sightseeing events in Kinmen.