(Yicai Global) Jan. 22 -- Taopiaopiao, Alibaba Group Holding's online booking platform, made a promise on China's Twitter-like Weibo today that all users who have booked movie tickets in Wuhan over the Chinese New Year holiday can get refunds without conditions attached to avert the further spread of the pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus that has broken out in the central city and is now spreading outward.

The platform will continue to negotiate with cinemas in China's other cities to satisfy users' refund requirements. Maoyan, a movie platform under Meituan Dianping, also declared the same policies following Taopiaopiao's lead.

The Chinese New Year holiday is usually the peak period for the movie market each year. The box office hit a record high of CNY5.8 billion in the vacation week during last year's Spring Festival in a 1.2 percent rise.

Editor: Ben Armour