MOVIES - March 26, 1990

Love in the Balcony: Theater operators in Beijing have come up with a way to bring young couples to the movies: eight of Beijing’s 17 film theaters have installed more than 400 special double seats, all at the rear of the theaters’ balconies, to allow couples to be affectionate and alone, the state-run newspaper China Daily reported Sunday. The flocks of young lovers who regularly fill the seats are known as “Mandarin Ducks,” and the English-language daily said the special seats--with high backs and high arms that shield the view--are also lucrative. Liu Hongpeng, manager of Beijing’s Capital Cinema, said his theater’s 69 special seats produce an important source of steady revenue. The lovers’ seats cost 85 cents, about four times the price of the cheapest single ticket.