Theatres to remain closed in Maha with no mass entertainers; Cinema operators await ‘achche din’

As the whole country is undergoing Unlock 5.0 and the Ministry of Home Affairs has announced that cinema goers can now enjoy movies in theatres from October 15, in non-containment zones provided that they follow 50% capacity rule. Where this announcement has brought a sigh of relief for many, theatre owners of Maharashtra state have other concerns as they don’t have Bollywood mass entertainers, thus, left with not much content to screen. However, still keeping their hopes high, film distributors and owners are optimistic that their business will boom by Diwali with the release of much awaited entertainers like ‘Radhe’, ‘Sooryavanshi’ among many others.

Still awaiting for achche din, when the treaters are now finally opening up after 7 months of long period, Maratha Mandir and G7 Multiplex owner Manoj Desai mentioned how he was expected to fall under the order released by the central government.

Talking about Mumbai theatres, he said, “But I’m still waiting for my achche din. Our representatives are trying to speak to the government to reopen cinema halls in Maharashtra like the rest of the country.” Whereas, CEO of PVR Cinemas, Kamal Gianchandani, called Maharashtra torchbearer of the film business and stated that they are confident if theatres open in this state even by October end, it will be a Happy Diwali for all the cinema operators.

Meanwhile, Jaipur-based theatre owner, Raj Bansal, said he awaits for the mass entertainers like ‘Hera Pheri’, the ‘Dhoom’ franchise and others for his business to pick up. However, another Mumbai-based theatre owner said that while everyone is waiting for the release of Big Bollywood films, we can take the other alternative to screen regional content.

Given to the current situation, multiplex businesses are expected to get back on track in Mumbai, when mass entertainers like Salman Khan’s ‘Radhe’, Akshay Kumar’s ‘Sooryavanshi’, Ranveer Singh’s ’83’ and other movies will premiere on big screens. To note, when the big releases of 2020 are expected to hit theatres, Akshay Kumar’s comedy horror ‘Laxmmi Bomb’ will see overseas theatrical release, this Diwali.