(Yicai Global) Feb. 26 -- In another example of the Covid-19 epidemic spawning a new segment, Chinese consumers will soon be able to buy snacks and beverages from movie theaters and have them delivered by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding's online takeaway platform Ele.Me, Alibaba Pictures Group, the film unit also under Alibaba, and Ele.Me jointly announced yesterday.

This collaboration will help operators move these inventories currently collecting dust on the shelf as theaters remain shuttered during the outbreak, and thus ease their capital-related pressure, online news outlet The Paper reported.

Silver screens have gone dark because of the novel coronavirus-caused pneumonia as the one-month government-mandated closure casts a shadow on their operations, and many of them have sought creative ways to save themselves. Most movie theaters have now shifted their focus to sales of other items because no films are on show for now. They usually stock popcorn, sodas, potato chips, candy and other such nibblies to wring out out more 'non-box office' income, but these items are their only revenue sources these days.

The market wasn't in the mood for such snacks, however. Alibaba Pictures shares [HK:01060] closed 0.893 percent down at noon at HKD1.11 (USD0.14). 

Wanda Cinemas, Pacific Theater, Bona Film Group, Jinyi Cinemas, Suning Cinema and Evergrande Calxon Film and about a dozen other big screen operators have agreed to collaborate with Alibaba Pictures, and they are in the different stages of contract signing and outlet building, Beijing-based Alibaba Pictures noted, adding this service is expected to cover the item delivery demands of over 1,000 cinemas nationwide, which will successively operate online on Ele.Me by the end of this month.

Snacks from 19 Shanghai theaters have been available on the platform via its Errand-Runner-Buy app for some time now.

Alibaba Pictures earned business revenue of CNY1.5 billion (USD214 million) in the six-month period to Sept. 30, it earlier reported. Its loss before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization was CNY276 million, down by 44 percent annually, it said.

Editor: Ben Armour