NEW DELHI : NEW DELHI: The Home Office has allowed open air cinemas to resume operations as of September 21 as part of the Unlock 4.0 guidelines. However, movie theaters, entertainment parks and similar venues will remain closed.
While several major multiplex chains such as PVR Cinemas, INOX Leisure Ltd, and Carnival Cinemas have decided to invest in open-air cinemas that will likely be available by the end of 2020 or early 2021, problems for traditional theater owners will continue.
India is expected to have lost around 10-12% of its display count, including standalone and multiplex properties, as part of the five-plus-month shutdown that began in March. For the first time, the theater business has recorded zero revenue, while Bollywood has only lost more than ₹1000 crore.
In a previous interview with Mint, PV Sunil, Carnival Cinemas managing director, had said that covid had devastated the theater business and that if theaters are not allowed to open in September, the prospects for recovery will be even dimmer.
Theater owners hoped to reopen the permits in September so Bollywood could cash in on the Gandhi Jayanti weekend in October. The fear psychosis that most viewers have developed regarding sitting with strangers in closed auditoriums, coupled with countless movies going straight to digital platforms, has spelled trouble for India’s theater business.
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