The members of the Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners’ Association are hoping that the State government will soon decide to reopen multiplexes and theatres.
They also hope to meet Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to seek concessions for reviving the exhibition industry. The members are expected to urge the government to abolish local body tax (entertainment tax), extend the validity of C-form licence from one year to three years and remove the archaic ‘operator licences’ non-applicable in the digital era.
Some theatre owners told The Hindu that the State should consider giving concessions on electricity tariff and reforming certain regulations related to renovation and constructions within the theatre premises.
Tiruppur Subramaniam said he hoped the government would soon reopen theatres as cases begin to come down. “We are hoping that an announcement will be made on June 28 or July 5. We will try to meet the Chief Minister in the coming weeks,” he said.
Mr. Subramaniam predicted that the era of traditional big single-screen theatres will soon be over and smaller theatres would be the way to go. “Since last year, around 125 theatres have shut down. Big screens need more money to operate. In this scenario, it is not possible,” he said.
