Tickets, rooms sell in minutes for China’s new Universal Studios
Al Jazeera
Surging demand underscores the challenge President Xi Jinping faces in dampening the appetite for celebrities among the general public.
As President Xi Jinping’s government looks to tame China’s celebrities, the popularity of a new Universal Studios theme park in Beijing shows Hollywood’s enduring soft power among the nation’s 1.4 billion people.
Tickets for the grand opening on Monday, priced at 638 yuan ($99), sold out within 30 minutes of going online last week — as did rooms costing as much as 20,000 yuan at the resort’s two hotels, according to state-run media. Fliggy, an online travel site operated by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., last week apologized for overselling the 500 yuan Universal Express Pass that lets visitor skip lines.
The park became the most-searched topic on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo on Monday morning, with visitors undeterred by the damp weather posting videos of “Harry Potter” experiences and a grand opening ceremony.
