While theaters and multiplexes will remain closed in states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Chhattisgarh, they will open this week in various locations, including Delhi and parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, with strict pros and cons according to the new COVID- 19 normal.
Marking the beginning of a new era of movie viewing, the Union government allowed multiplex cinemas, cinemas and theaters to reopen starting Thursday under a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs). The Ministry of the Interior (MHA) left it up to the states to take one last call on the matter.
PVR Cinemas, India’s largest film exhibitor with 845 screens in 176 properties in 71 cities, said on Wednesday that 10 states and four union territories gave their go-ahead for cinemas to reopen.
Consequently, PVR will begin trading on 487 screens starting Thursday and expects other states to give their green signal soon as well.
The SOPs required by the Union government include a seat distance in the aisles, 50% capacity, masks at all times, adequate ventilation and air conditioning temperature settings above 23 degrees Celsius.
The multiplex chain said it hopes to build customer trust with an ‘evangelism’ phase that will give people the opportunity to experience its enhanced security features first-hand. This phase will include goodwill examinations for company employees, health and police workers and their children.
Film screenings will begin from Friday, October 16, and tickets will be posted on its website, as well as other ticketing platforms, starting at midnight.
Like the others in the business, INOX Leisure Ltd said it has introduced security controls such as mandatory masks and temperature controls, in addition to staggered entrances, intermediates and exits.
The theater chain will rely entirely on electronic tickets instead of paper tickets and an all-in-one SMS with links to the QR code, auditorium seating chart and access to the F&B menu.
“We also seek to innovate with private screenings, where families or smaller groups of guests can reserve the entire auditorium and enjoy the content of their choice,” said its executive director, Alok Tandon, in a statement.
Theaters have to deal with the double whammy of COVID fears and old content and keep their fingers crossed as they prepare to release a different kind of cinematic experience.
As the theater management scrupulously sanitizes its facilities in preparation for the big day and hopes that audiences cautiously reenter, the fee is likely to be a mix of international, Hindi and regional language cinema, but basically titles. ancient.
It will take a while before the new content returns. The release of two major Bollywood movies, “83”, about India’s victory in the cricket world cup, and “Sooryavanshi,” starring Akshay Kumar, have been postponed for Christmas and next year, respectively.
So if PVR will screen past hits like Keanu Reeves’ “John Wick 3”, Ajay Devgn’s “Tanhaji” and Tapsee Pannu’s “Thappad”, Bihar Vishek Chauhan exhibitor, who runs the Roopbani Cinema in Purnea, will play Rajput- protagonist “Chhichhore”. The hope is perhaps that audiences will return to theaters to see Rajput, the Bihar-born actor whose death in June has the nation in shock.
“Even before we closed, the business was biased towards great movies … We will be back only when we get a ‘Sooryavanshi’, ’83’ or ‘Radhe’. Until then, it’s about acting together, “Chauhan told PTI.
PVR Cinemas CEO Gautam Dutta was optimistic that the industry will emerge stronger and more robust.
Cinepolis India CEO Devang Sampat told PTI that they had prepared an exciting bouquet of Hollywood and Bollywood hits from the past.
“(We have) ‘1917’, ‘Bala’, ‘Malang’, ‘Shivaji Surathakal’ and ‘Thappad’, to name a few. We are communicating our security protocols to customers through multiple media channels to address people’s concerns, “said Sampat.
According to industry experts, India has around 8,750 screens, 3,100 multiplex and 5,650 individual screens operating mainly in Tier 2 and 3 cities.
Many movie theaters closed even before the national shutdown went into effect on March 25, and managers desperately hope to get back to work.
In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called a meeting of theater owners to discuss last minute details before they open their doors to the public.
However, several key states like Maharashtra have yet to make a decision. “Maharashtra is an extremely important market for us, occupying the largest percentage of our screen share,” said PVR’s Dutta. Nitin Dattar, owner of a theater in Karad in the state and president of the Indian Film Owners and Exhibitors Association, said it will be difficult for owners to stay in business if cinemas do not open soon in Maharashtra.
“Our losses are huge. (Hindi film) producers will be reluctant to release their new films if theaters do not open in Maharashtra,” Dattar told PTI. Stakeholders are also fine-tuning details in various states.
In Gujarat, for example, movie theaters are likely to reopen from Saturday because theater owners have been unable to reach an agreement with distributors to reissue old films.
“We (multiplex cinemas in Gujarat) will not start from tomorrow as we have not been able to decide on the terms to reissue old films with distributors in Mumbai,” Neeraj Ahuja, a member of the Gujarat Multiplex Owners Association, told PTI.
In Chhattisgarh and Punjab, the respective state governments have not yet given their permission to reopen the corridors.
Labhansh Tiwari, a member of the Central Circuit Film Association (CCCA), said they will have to downsize their staff members if the closure remains in effect.
“Because we have a higher fatality rate, we will not open cinemas in Punjab,” a senior official from the Punjab Interior Department said on Wednesday.
Theater owners in Karnataka said they are skeptical about the success of their operations, as moviegoers have already seen the latest movies on OTT platforms.
“The owners of multiplexes and cinemas are ready to start their business following the standard operating procedure established by the central government, but they face the challenge of the lack of content”, Uday Garudachar, BJP MLA of Chickpet in Bengaluru and owner of the Garuda shopping center he told PTI.
Film exhibitors in Andhra Pradesh have decided not to reopen as of Thursday despite the Center’s assent. In addition to the financial burden, exhibitors are reluctant to resume business due to the lack of new titles.
All is likely to be quiet in Assam and the rest of the northeast as well.
“We have not received any notification or confirmation from the government in this regard. Nor have we received any programs from anywhere. As far as we know, movie theaters will not open tomorrow anywhere in the entire region”, Siddharth Goenka of Goenka Enterprises, the distributor North East’s largest movie store, he told PTI.
In Kolkata, multiplex cinema chains are set to open some of their cinemas starting Thursday, but several individual screens will take another week before opening their doors to viewers.
In Madhya Pradesh, however, some theaters are preparing to open their doors.
Bhopal Cinema Owners Association Secretary Aizazuddin told PTI that “except for a multiplex cinema, no other cinema will reopen in the state capital on October 15 due to unavailability of the audience.”
In Indore, the director of the Central Circuit Film Association, OP Goyal, said that two multiplexes and two single-screen cinemas will reopen. Cinemas will also open in various parts of Uttar Pradesh, but will possibly begin showing films from Friday. Novelty film director Rajesh Tandon said the company’s employees were screened for COVID-19 on Wednesday. The results will arrive on Thursday and the room will open to the public on Friday.
This story has been published from a news agency feed with no changes to the text. Only the title has been changed.
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