There was a sigh of relief as well as joy among the exhibitors as the audience returned to theatres, which reopened in Maharashtra on Friday with the necessary COVID-19 guidelines. For the first time in the history of cinema, theaters remained closed for almost seven months starting from mid-March in 2020. coronavirus global pandemic. Businesses resumed for a few months starting October and November in different parts of the country as the number of COVID-19 cases decreased.
However, the pandemic returned with a devastating second wave in the country in April this year, forcing theaters to shut down once again. As the country witnessed a decline in COVID-19 cases, states like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana allowed cinema halls to resume operations from July-August.
But Maharashtra, the main market and home of India’s Hindi film industry, remained closed. It was only in September that the Maharashtra government announced that theaters would be reopened from October 22 with 50 per cent capacity and other key protocols.
Since then the cinema owners, producers and the audience were waiting for that day to come. Today, the exhibition industry is thrilled to bits and has expressed its gratitude to the audience for being back in theatres.
PVR Pictures CEO Kamal Gyanchandani said the response in Maharashtra to the multiplex has been “very strong”. Gyanchandani told PTI, “The response has been positive. Hollywood film No Time to Die is doing well in Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra. There is no ambiguity that people are longing to come back and it is reflected in their behaviour. Used to be.”
He added that things will pick up pace when Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Sooryavanshi’ releases on November 5. “It is a matter of time when Sooryavanshi releases next month, we will see a business that we have not seen in many Diwalis in the last few years. So, there is a massive boom in theatres. Next three to five months will be the busiest. period.” Among other measures, cinema halls are required to wear masks and maintain social distancing, thermal screening is mandatory at entry points and hand sanitisers will be provided.
Leading film exhibitor-distributor Akshay Rathi says the good old days are finally back. “We have 12 theater chains in Maharashtra and occupancy has been sporadic depending on the film and show. But in the permitted capacity, many films are seeing 20 to 30 per cent occupancy.
“We are thrilled with the reception and love from the audience. There are films like Sharman Joshi’s ‘Bablu Bachelor’, Prateek Gandhi’s Bhavai, which are regional and Hollywood films that are being screened primarily. The response is especially to Hollywood films, Rathi believes that the onlookers are not intimidated by the aggressive vaccination drive being run by the authorities.
“There are people who are going to restaurants, malls, traveling, so they are more than happy and confident to go out because most of them are double immunized,” he said. Event manager Dhariya Vora said that he is back to enjoying movies on celluloid.
“I watched a James Bond movie at the new property in Jio, I am very excited to be back in the cinema hall after such a long time. I wish it was a Hindi film as it has a different kind of excitement. However, for me It’s the joy of watching a film on the big screen.” Soon after the Maharashtra government gave its nod to the reopening of cinemas in the state, filmmaker Rohit Shetty announced the release date of his much-awaited film Sooryavanshi.
Other big movies coming soon in theatres include Final, Satyamev Jayate 2, Bunty Aur Babli 2 etc. Many theater owners are pinning high hopes on Kumar’s Sooryavanshi, the first Bollywood tentpole film to hit the theaters during Diwali.
Rathi said, “There is no big ticket Hindi film right now, but I am sure Sooryavanshi’s numbers will be phenomenal. Things are looking good. Manoj Desai, executive director of G7 Multiplex and Maratha Mandir, said, “We have around 50 people watching DDLJ at Maratha Mandir for the 11.30 pm show in a 500-seater capacity. The theater is actually 1000-seater, but due to COVID-19 It is running at 50 per cent capacity due to protocol. We will get a clear understanding over the weekend.” Some single screen owners expressed hope for things to escalate in the coming days.
Sunny Chandramani, an exhibitor with 18 to 20 single-screen cinema halls in Pune, says business has been a bit low since morning but he is not disappointed. “In my theater chain, we have Bhavai ‘Bablu Bachelor’ but the response is not good, it started with five per cent occupancy. The scenario is a bit bad for single screen, multiplexes are doing well as Hollywood movies are taking back the audience. are bringing.” in cinemas. But I am happy that the industry is back, Chandramani told PTI.
Another cinema owner Nitin Datar, who has a theater in Satara, said that big Bollywood stars have a role to play in bringing the audience back to the theatres. “We are hopeful that the situation will improve in the coming days. Only popular films with a big star cast will attract audiences, average or non-stars will not accumulate much (at the box-office). It will take some time. Cinema owners To re-establish and recover their losses, he said.
According to the state health department, 1,573 new cases of coronavirus were reported in Maharashtra on Thursday and 39 people died.
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