Promotional material for Lost in Russia Photo: Lost in Russia's official Sina Weibo account

Chinese films scheduled to hit the theaters during the Spring Festival are unlikely to choose premier on video streaming platforms, but films like Enter the Fat Dragon, which are unhopeful about recovering investments or making a profit from movie theaters may choose to broadcast on the internet, said a film critic Saturday.

The comment came after China's martial arts flick Enter the Fat Dragon and comedy film Lost in Russia made their online debut on streaming platforms Saturday and January 25 respectively since the slated releases on big screen have to be postponed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Enter the Fat Dragon starring famed martial artist Donnie Yen was originally set to release on February 14, the Valentine's Day; but filmmakers at the Bona Film Group later decided to air the film on China's two leading streaming platforms, Tencent Video and iQiyi Friday due to people's safety concern over going to public venues amid coronavirus outbreak. 

The film walked along the footsteps of Lost in Russia whose producer and streaming company Huanxi Media sealed a deal worth $90 million and announced the film would stream free of charge on Bytedance outlets, including Douyin, Toutiao, Xigua Video, Huoshan, and Wasu Fresh Time platforms.

"This will not cause a butterfly effect. The rule is clear, movies are released on theaters while online video platforms stream copies of films. At the beginning of film promotions, online video platforms need to bid for acquiring the film's broadcast rights and later when the film goes offline from cinemas they are permitted to stream it," Shi Wenxue, a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy and a film critic, told the Global Times Saturday. 

Shi noted that Lost in Russia made an unprecedented move and seriously breached the rule. "Huanxi Media used 'dedication' as an excuse to garner public support while concealing their actual intention of earning profits. More importantly, they ignored the rules of the Chinese film industry and violated the initial establishment of the system. 

Breaking existing pattern between investment, production, distribution, and movie theaters and directly streaming on online video platforms will set a very bad precedent, besides it might even pull some movies into the pit," he said.

According to a people.cn report published Tuesday, Lost in Russia has been watched over 600 million times in three days on Bytedance outlets.

A total of 23 film studios and cinema chains, including Wanda Film Holding and Henan Oscar Theatre Chain lodged a formal complaint with the National Film Administration accusing Huanxi media of damaging the Chinese film industry.

"Their act comes as a big blow for many film companies. Only those that have a strong financial backing or small but with an excellent film production capability can bear the financial consequences of the coronavirus lockdown," Shi added.