Visakhapatnam: Easing of curbs unlikely to bring any cheer to theatre operators

Visakhapatnam: After remaining for over four months now, it's curtains-up for cinema theatres soon.

Though it comes as a respite amid unlock 3.0, the exhibitors and distributors in the entertainment world opine that it's going to be a tough time for them to run the show following the revised standard operating procedures (SOP) and the latest set of guidelines that stresses on 25 per cent seating capacity initially.

Given the hike in maintenance cost to ensure safety and hygiene protocols for the staff as well as the movie halls, theatre managers lament that operating theatres amid latest guidelines may not be a viable option. "We have already ended up with enough losses due to the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown. Even when there was 100 per cent occupancy during pre-Covid times, we used to incur losses when the capacity got reduced to half after a few weeks. Now, with one-third of the seating capacity, we seriously don't know how to pull it off," says A Somesh, Narasimha and Sri Narasimha twin theatre manager.

Owing to lack of business, a majority of theatre managements were forced to pay half a salary to the staff ever since the announcement of the first lockdown in March. "However, when the theatre resumes its operation, the staff will expect a 100 per cent salary. Apart from this, there is an additional investment in maintaining safety and hygiene protocols. Practically, it is not possible to screen the films as the expenses get doubled and the revenue generation gets slashed to one-thirds," says K Vamsi Kishore, president of Distributors' Association.

Another challenge the theatre operators experience is lack of big-ticket movies as many actors are reluctant to accept fresh offers amid the pandemic.

Sharing their woes, Exhibitors Association president Jasti Madan says, "We have appealed to the government to exempt theatre operators from paying electricity bills and other taxes for a few months in order to cope with piled up losses. Given the present situation, it is financially taxing for the exhibitors to screen the shows without availing the exemption."

Even if the movie ticket price is hiked in order to match-up to the revenues, there is less scope that it would work, especially with restricted budgets. With a majority of movie buffs now depending on over-the-top (OTT) platforms for entertainment, there is no guarantee that even the 25 per cent of theatre will get filled.

Instead of spending Rs 200 for a movie ticket, many opt for OTT platforms as they do get unlimited streaming for a month, investing the same amount.

Keeping this in view, theatre owners predict a huge loss even if they are allowed to resume the entertainment service. "Even if permission is given to open the theatres following the latest SOPs and guidelines, not many would look forward to it. Loss incurred during the lockdown may likely to get doubled if the theatres open with one-third of its capacity," predicts T Satish Kumar, owner of Sukanya-Sowjanya twin theatres.

As uncertainties continue to persist with increasing coronavirus cases, how safe it is to watch a movie in a closed encounter seems to be a big question mark.