Coronavirus | Cinemas downing shutters again in Andhra Pradesh

Steep fall in occupancy and high operation costs triggered by COVID-19 protocols cited as reasons

A board outside a cinema theatre in Vijayawada mentioning about its closure.

It’s curtains again for the cinemas following a spurt in the COVID-19 cases, and the latest to join the list of theatres to suspend shows is Durga Mahal in the Patamata area in the city. Annapoorna and Sakuntala too have dropped curtains earlier citing a similar reason.

A steep fall in occupancy is one of the main reasons that is forcing the theatre owners to suspend the shows.

“It is a huge financial burden to run the show. We need to pay salaries and taxes. On top of it, we have to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols, and ensure only 50% occupancy and sanitise the premises at regular intervals,” they say.

It costs a minimum of ₹10,000 per day towards payment of salaries, maintenance, electricity, and sanitation, says Alankar Prasad, president of the Andhra Pradesh Exhibitors’ Association.

“The collections are a mere ₹2,000 per day. So, the owners are voluntarily closing down the theatres,” says Mr. Prasad.

This apart, lack of production is another major reason for the cinemas downing the shutters.

“The distributors have stopped film releases fearing losses. With no production, the exhibitors are left with no other choice except to close down the theatres,” says R.V. Bhupal Prasad, proprietor of Navarang theatre, where screening will be stopped from Friday.

According to information, there are about 1,100 theatres in the State, 60 in Vijayawada alone. On an average, each theatre spends ₹1.25 lakh per month towards salaries and ₹1.70 lakh per month on power. About ₹2,000 to ₹3,000 is spent on sanitation alone. Many theatres have a seating capacity of 500 to 600. And about 50 to 70 persons working in booking counters, canteens, parking arena are dependent on each theatre.

With the Pawan Kalyan-starrer ‘Vakeel Saab’ available on Amazon Prime Video from Friday, the exhibitors fear lesser footfalls in the theatres screening it.

As there are no new releases in the near future, it will be a wrong decision to run the theatres with one movie or the other, say the exhibitors.

“There used to be four or five new releases prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. The lockdown that followed has taken away the sheen. Even as the exhibitors are grappling to come out of the red, the second wave of COVID-19 has hit them hard. The situation may not return to normal before January 2022,” says Sai Prasad, sercretary of the Vijayawada Exhibitors’ Association.