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China's cinemas may be fearing bankruptcy due to protracted COVID-19-related lockdown restrictions, but businesses offering online entertainment are upbeat about the future.

Nearly 10 new films that were originally scheduled for release at cinemas, had reached audiences for free using online channels as of June 23. The first in the series is Lost in Russia on ByteDance's platforms like Toutiao and TikTok.

The new films' online releases have provoked uproar in China's film industry. Some fear massive loss of ticket sales revenue. Even though film production companies reportedly said online releases are not going to generate adequate profits, they still shifted to online solutions, in case waiting for theatrical release may cause more loss given the current situation.