Bollywood rejoices as India opens theatres from Oct 15
Cinema owners across India feel that audiences will start coming back to theatres within 2-3 months after the government on 30th September announced opening of theatres from 15th October with a condition of 50% of total capacity. The announcement has cheered the cinema owners as well as the Industry as filmmakers had been lobbying for the opening of the theatre halls. After the Unlock 5.0 guidelines from the ministry of home affairs, various state governments can now decide on when and how to open cinema theatres in their states. The owners weren`t expecting anything better than this. They are hoping to work with various state governments to get permission to open in the coming 4-5 weeks. The Indian cinema industry is one of the worst-hit sectors and its players have suffered massive losses due to the complete shutdown of cinema screens across the country for the last seven months. This step might help in saving more than 2 million jobs in the Western part of India only. Cinema owners are hopeful that Delhi, West Bengal, and Karnataka will be the first of the states to give permission. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu may take some time, but others are expected to follow. A 50% cap on occupancy is not a challenge as the peak occupancy for screens are around 35% during the weekdays and between 50-60% during the weekends.