It is not yet showtime, though the State government has permitted the opening of cinemas with 50% occupancy from Monday. Theatre owners are buying more time to resume business and say it will take at least a week or 10 days to screen films.
While they are waiting for new releases, sanitisation and other maintenance works will be done as the theatres were closed for over three months after the second wave of the pandemic hit the State, they said.
K.V. Chandrashekar, chairperson of Karnataka Film Exhibitors’ Association, said, “Theatres have been allowed to open after several months. Owners are waiting for new releases. Once people are informed about new releases, they will come to the theatres. In a couple of days, we will get clarity on the new releases in Kannada as well as other languages. The release of old films does not interest people.”
Even multiplexes are waiting for the dates of new releases. An official of Inox said, “As auditoriums were shut for months, we have taken up sanitisation, deep cleaning, and maintenance works of the equipment. It is likely to take one week to 10 days for the resumption of screening.”
Theatres hit hard
The outbreak of the pandemic has hit theatre owners hard. Members of the film industry say since April 2020, theatres were allowed to run only for four to five months.
“Unable to bear the loss, 35 to 40 single-screen theatre owners have already shut down their business. Many theatres that have a long legacy have also shut down and owners are looking for other business for survival,” said D.R. Jairaj, chairman of Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce.
