Under the current social distancing measures, cinemas can fill their houses to up to 85 percent of their capacity. All movie-goers cannot eat inside the houses.

Hong Kong Theatres Association said the food ban should be lifted, given that various safety measures are in place.

Almost 90 percent of cinema staffers are vaccinated. Ventilation systems are in place, and movie-goers need to use the LeaveHomeSafe app.

People won't talk during movies, so the risk of infection for them to eat should be low, the association argued.

The industry association said 30 percent of cinemas' income come from its food kiosks. Such income was used to pay staff wages and daily operation costs.

Cinemas have been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. They were allowed to reopen eight months ago, but business is still bad on weekdays.

Additionally, screenings after 9pm were popular in the past, it is no longer the case in the pandemic.

Box office records have also plunged to almost half of what it was compared to the same period two years ago.

In March this year, UA Cinema closed its six theaters after 36 years, citing “devastating pressure faced by operations since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.”