Masks, vacant seats will be the norm for now at cinema halls

Masks, vacant seats will be the norm for now at cinema halls

03.11.2020

Yogesh.Kabirdoss@timesgroup.com

When cinema halls open on November 10 after more than seven months, you will have to wear masks throughout the show. There will be empty seats on either side. And big-budget releases are unlikely, at least for a while, as the industry will wait to see how many people turn up.

If you go as a family, you may get to sit next to one another, but not otherwise. So what if you turn up with your significant other? Hope for the best. Theatre owners are clear that they will observe the government’s rules on sanitation and social distancing. Only food and beverages in packets will be sold and toilets will be cleaned frequently. All seats will be wiped after each show. That’s what the more than 200 cinema halls in Chennai and suburbs have planned.

According to Abirami Ramanathan, Chennai city president of Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, most cinema halls will reopen next week. Ticket prices won’t be hiked though only half the seats can be sold for a show, he added. In Chennai, the seating capacity of theatres ranges from 300 to 1,200.

Unlike previous Diwalis, movies of popular stars may not hit the screens this time, opening the window for small budget movies. Co-Founder of Qube Cinema Senthil Kumar said films produced with a budget under Rs 4 crores are likely to hit the screens. “Had the cinema halls reopened a little earlier, the prospects of big budget movies being released this Diwali would have been brighter,” he said.

However, a producer, who also owns a theatre, said release of big budget movies cannot be delayed much more as producers pay huge interest paid on loans. “If a leading artist’s movie is screened, it will be a boost for their fans and they will flock the cinema halls,” he added.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: Cinema halls will open across the state on November 10