While multiplexes in the city with web portals and online booking facilities remain largely unaffected by demonetisation, smaller screens and theatres in districts have been battling low occupancy rates.
“People do not have currency of small denominations and there has been a drastic reduction in the footfalls here. We are cancelling one or two shows every other day since the announcement came,” said A.L. Loganathan, Proprietor, Oorvasi theatre in Tiruchi. He further stated that with the drop in business, smaller theatre owners may have to compromise on facilities such as air-conditioning.
Rakesh Gowthaman of Vetri Cinemas said that theatres in the B and C centres, especially in southern Tamil Nadu, had taken a huge hit.
“While theatres here which offer online bookings are not facing much of the heat, the Food and Beverage sections have taken a hit. In our theatre, we are doing only around 30 per cent of our normal business from F & B,” he said.
While the Silambarasan-starrer Accham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada released on November 11 , a few small Tamil movies and the G.V. Prakash Kumar-starrer ‘Kadavul Irukkan Kumaru’ hit the theatres last weekend. There are no other major Tamil movies which have been scheduled for release in the next few weeks.
“While the first two days after the announcement of demonetisation saw a sharp drop in the number of people coming to theatres in Chennai, it stabilized over that weekend. There are very few people in the city who come to theatres with cash in hand to book tickets and most counters here are equipped with machines to accept cards,” said Abirami Ramanathan, Managing Director, Abirami Multiplex, about the occupancy rates in the city.
