Theatres in Maharashtra witness lukewarm response on Day 1 of reopening

Maharashtra has 532 multiplexes and 470 single-screen theatres. Of these, 259 multiplexes and 65 single-screen theatres are in Mumbai

On the first day of reopening on Friday, theatres and multiplexes in Maharashtra witnessed less than 20% patrons, even as only 30% of the single-screen theatres opened their doors for movie goers, associations representing the cinema hall owners said.

A movie goer buys tickets at Metro Inox Theatre, Marine Lines, on Friday after Maharashtra government allowed cinema halls and auditoriums to reopen amid dip in Covid cases. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

Maharashtra has 532 multiplexes and 470 single-screen theatres. Of these, 259 multiplexes and 65 single-screen theatres are in Mumbai.

“Less than 20% of patrons visited theatres on the first day. Most single-screens were shut because no mega-star movie released on Friday. We expect the business to pick up during the Diwali weekend. However, we request the Maharashtra government to allow 100% occupancy inside the auditoriums,” said Nitin Datar, president of Cinema Owners and Exhibitors Association of India.

On October 13, the Maharashtra government had issued guidelines for reopening of cinema halls, theatres and auditoriums from October 22 with 50% capacity. The guidelines allow access only to people with Covid-19 vaccination certificates or with the Aarogya Setu app showing their status as ‘safe’.

“The SOPs are difficult to follow every time. We have been asked to check the temperature of visitors and report to the authorities in case a visitor has temperature. It is difficult to do everything manually,” added Datar.

Multiplex owners are hopeful that people will visit cinemas during the weekend.

“Until Friday evening, the business has been nearly 35% across all the halls. We are hopeful that people will visit cinema halls during the weekend,” said Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir Cinema.