This article only represents the author's own views.

China’s film industry became a poster child for the damage wrought by the pandemic, as the nation’s theaters often sat empty or half-full during repeated closures as Beijing tried to keep the virus at bay. The damage reached a peak last year, with the annual box office plunging 36% to just 30 billion yuan ($4.36 billion) as cities tried in vain to stop the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.

But the hard-hit industry looks set to for a rebound after Beijing’s abrupt scrapping of nearly all of its Covid controls in early December, which should benefit companies like Maoyan Entertainment (1896.HK). The online ticket seller and movie investor’s name was in its own spotlight last week, after it announced its renewal of two strategic tie-ups with Internet giants Tencent Holdings (0700.HK) and Meituan (3690.HK) in its bid to get more bang for the buck in the upcoming rebound.