It is good news for all the movie buffs and cinema aficionados! After a long break, the Central Government has given permission to open up cinema screens, but with stringent COVID-19 safety protocols. It has directed screen owners to adhere to stringent checks and follow fifty percent occupancy threshold and physical distancing mandatorily.
The Centre further made it compulsory to include body scanners and sanitizers for usage after every show. Many point that this will make theatre management a costly affair for the owners. Exhibitors are doubtful if they can afford all these measures with a mere fifty percent occupancy.
The rise in consumption of OTT content has led to people watching movies from the comfort of their homes. With COVID-19 numbers rising, families are unwilling to step out to catch up with their favourite stars in the theater. If the theater owners increase the ticket price, it might lead to decreased occupancy which will place a financial burden to run the shows.
Another aspect that is daunting the theatre prospects is the affordability of OTT. If a family needs to watch a movie in theatres, it would cost them not less than a thousand rupees. The same family can watch a month full of movies for that same price in Netflix, Amazon Prime, Aha, Disney, Hotstar, and many more. So let’s see how many of us will actually go to the theatre to enjoy the big-screen experience again. Fingers crossed!
