HYDERABAD: Cinema theatres, which resumed screening, witnessed good response from the public on day one of their reopening after the second wave of Covid pandemic, on Friday.
According to industry sources, occupancy rate was much more than the previous reopening after the first wave of Covid-19 on 4 December.
With two new movies released on Friday, ticket sales were average, they said and expressed hope that after the release of big budget movies, theatres would be house-full. Some theatres are offering special screens for families and friends.
Many film buffs made it to the theatres to watch Friday morning shows, to experience cinema on the first day of reopening. The Covid-19 safety protocol was followed all over the theatres.
Balgovind Raj Tadla, who runs two theatres at RTC Crossroads, said, “We started with two new movies and the response was decent. This is a good sign. Last time patrons took around two weeks to digest, to come and buy the ticket. It took a few weeks for them to make it to the theatres. But this time from day one, though collections were average, it is much better than the last time.”
Mohit Bhargava, Regional Director – South, INOX Leisure Ltd, said, “As India emerges from the clutches of the second wave of Covid-19, we are completely geared up with preparedness of safety measures, and all employees working in our theatre are vaccinated, at least with one dose done.”
He added, “We have come up with a concept called private screening, where a smaller group of audience can book the entire auditorium, exclusively for themselves. Extra personal time is given before the starting of film or during the interval break. They can also opt for food during this special screening.
