Cinemas reopen after 18 months
Theatres open to half capacity, shows in Mumbai run with fewer audiences
Movie theatres in Mumbai reopened yesterday after more than 18 months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the last of the many Covid-19 restrictions to go amid a decline in infections.
Theatres opened to half capacity, following the guidelines released last month, but struggled to lure the public back and mostly re-released earlier hits. Many shows were running with fewer audiences, movie ticketing portal BookMyShow showed.
Strict norms
To minimise the danger of the virus, only those with Covid-19 vaccination certificates or with a “safe status” on the state-run health app will be allowed to enter the theatres.
Masks and temperature checks are mandatory and no food or beverages will be allowed inside. Theatres elsewhere
in the country are already running shows.
Mumbai has been one of the country’s worst-affected by the pandemic but has gradually reopened following a decline in both Covid-19 cases and deaths. Cinemas there, however, are among the last public places to reopen, a hugely symbolic move.
Every year, the $2.8 billion industry produces more than 2,000 films. Bollywood’s success over the years has embedded moviegoing into India’s contemporary culture
and been a boon for the economy.
The restrictions imposed on movie theatres to prevent the spread of Covid-19 have hurt operators. But the industry is expected to rebound. Indian filmmakers have lined up major big-ticket releases ahead of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, when sales peak and audiences flock to theatres. The return to cinemas in Mumbai comes a day after India celebrated its one billionth vaccine dose.