Live broadcast of Fan Zhendong’s German Cup clash sells out Chinese cinemas in minutes

Table tennis star Fan Zhendong will play for club side Borussia Dusseldorf in a German Cup clash against Ochsenhausen on Saturday

Fan Zhendong may have dropped out of the table tennis world rankings and China’s national team but his popularity on the mainland appears as strong as ever.

The Olympic champion’s German Cup match on Saturday will be broadcast live in 56 cinemas across the mainland, and tickets sold out within three minutes in some cities.

Last week, video streaming platform Youku Sports and state-backed film distributor Huaxia Film jointly announced that they would live-stream Fan’s appearance in his Borussia Dusseldorf side’s clash with Ochsenhausen.

Tickets for the tie, which starts at 5pm and pits Fan’s side against the five-time cup winners, went on sale for between 50 and 90 yuan (US$7.50-US$13).

According to reports, three days after the announcement, screenings in Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou were fully sold out by early morning, with limited tickets remaining in Beijing and Wuhan.

In Beijing, the Huaxia Film Centre allocated six auditoriums for simultaneous broadcasts, all of which sold out. Ticket prices were mostly set at 63 yuan (US$8.80), with a Dolby Atmos hall priced at 99 yuan.