Kinmen: The Golden Lion Cinema in outlying Kinmen County saw ticket sales surge by more than 50 percent on Aug. 8, driven by an influx of Chinese moviegoers attending the Taiwan premiere of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle.”

According to Focus Taiwan, Chinese anime fans took the ferry from China’s Fujian province to Kinmen to watch the film, as Taiwan’s premiere date is earlier than in China. Cheng Chih-hung, manager of Wind Lion Plaza, which houses the cinema, mentioned that Kinmen follows the same release schedule as Taiwan proper, attracting Chinese tourists when Taiwan has an earlier premiere date. This trend has been observed at screenings of other popular films such as “Deadpool” and “Mission Impossible.”

Cheng added that both local and visiting moviegoers can be assured of ticket availability, as the theater has six screens, including one with more than 400 seats. A Kinmen local surnamed Chen told CNA that he had seen Chinese moviegoers in Kinmen before at the screening of “An Unfinished Film” by Chinese director Lou Ye, which is banned in China. He expressed contentment at the presence of Chinese tourists, as it helps support the cinema’s operations.

Addressing concerns that Chinese tourists might crowd out local moviegoers, Kinmen County government stated that the influx for the Demon Slayer movie was an isolated case, with no reports of locals being unable to buy tickets. The government assured that it will continue to safeguard local residents’ rights while welcoming travelers from around the world to participate in cultural and sightseeing events in Kinmen.