Hanoi cinemas fill up as they reopen after 10 months

At the box office of a cinema on Pham Ngoc Thach street (Dong Da District) at around 8 p.m Sunday, everyone had their temperatures measured, QR codes scanned and hands disinfected before entering the theater.

Young people, generally in pairs or groups, accounted for most of the audience.

Pham Phuong Hoa, a student at the Hanoi Open University, said she had bought tickets online for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. “I decided to buy online since it is fast, guarantees a decent seat and avoids the need to stand in long queues,” she said.

Quynh Chi and a group of friends from Le Quy Don High School, Dong Da District, said: “Because the entire group enjoys horror movies, we chose ‘Chuyen Ma Gan Nha’ (Ghost Story Near Home), screened at 19:45. However, we were late and missed the show. We rebooked the tickets for the next day”.

Chi and Khai arrived at the cinema half an hour before showtime and began checking the movie list. “We decided that ‘Spider-Man’ was the best choice, a favorite with young people like us,” Chi said.

Pham Ngoc Bich (Hanoi University of Business and Technology) and her friends make a Tik Tok clip while waiting for showtime.

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, ‘Chuyen Ma Gan Nha’, ‘Nha Khong Ban’ (House Not For Sale) are attracting huge crowds. The evening shows of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ were nearly sold out. The movie tops box office earnings in Hanoi.

Tran Kha Thu and Bui Khanh Linh came to watch ‘Chuyen Ma Gan Nha’.
Linh said: “We arrived 30 minutes after the film began. After watching it, I am a bit confused, and did not fully enjoy it. We plan to come again in a few days to see ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’.”

Cinemas are recommending that people should buy tickets online to minimize contact with other people.

Nguyen Thu Ngan and Dang Ngoc Huyen of Hai Ba Trung District bought tickets for ‘Chuyen Ma Gan Nha’ at 20:45.
Ngan said: “We had been waiting for cinemas to open for a long time. We came here today after nearly 10 months of not being able to watch movies on a big screen.”

Two women of Hai Ba Trung left unhappily since ‘Nha Khong Ban’ was sold out. “We did not buy tickets in advance and arrived late,” they said.

The elevator area was packed.

The bustle at the cinema after many months of closure.