Exhibitors, producers welcome govt's decision 100% OCCUPANCY

Film exhibitors, producers and cinema hall owners on Sunday hailed the Centre's decision to permit movie theatres across the country to operate at 100 per cent capacity from February 1.

The insiders said the move would help the industry recover from the coronavirus pandemic-induced losses.

On Sunday, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar released a new set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to help functioning of cinema halls with adherence to COVID-19 safety protocols.

Adequate physical distancing, mandatory face masks and sanitisation of auditorium after every screening are among the latest SOPs issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Sunday, after the government allowed cinema halls to operate at 100 percent occupancy from Monday.

Digital booking of tickets and staggered show timings to avoid crowding will be encouraged, the minister said, releasing a set of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The Producers Guild of India, headed by producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, took to Twitter and wrote that lifting of the occupancy cap was a necessary step to revive the industry.

"We welcome the decision of @MIB_India to allow 100% capacity in cinemas from February 1 and extend our sincere gratitude to Honourable @PrakashJavdekar ji and everyone involved in facilitating this important step in our industry's recovery," the Guild tweeted.