PANAJI: Four days after theatres were allowed to reopen with 50% capacity, Inox Leisure restarted movie screenings on Friday. However, standalone theatres like Cine Samrat and Cine Ashok have yet to resume operations as the current norms make it unviable.
Unlike the multiplexes, which predominantly screen Hollywood and Bollywood flicks, the other theatres in Goa depend on Hindi, Marathi, Kannada and Malayalam movie patrons. With the Covid-19 pandemic delaying new movie releases, smaller movie houses such as Hira Film Exhibitors have decided to take it slow.
Though the state government extended the curfew for another week, it permitted theatres to reopen with 50% capacity.
“We wholeheartedly welcome the state government’s decision to allow cinemas to operate. We will evaluate our preparations and will look to start operations across all our four cinemas in Goa,” said regional director, west, INOX Leisure Ltd, Atul Bhandarkar.
The cinemas will be operated by a fully vaccinated team with the theatres being “frequently deep cleaned” and disinfected, said Bhandarkar. Masks, temperature checks, contactless payments and e-ticketing will be mandatory.
Pravin Zantye, who is the managing partner of the chain of Z-Square theatres and the president of the All Goa Theatre Owners Association, said that smaller cinemas cannot afford to run at 50% capacity.
“The costs are the same, the salaries are the same but the revenue is not the same,” said Zantye.
“If theatres in Goa are reopened at this point of time then there would be a severe problem as regards getting new film releases, every week, especially as theatres in Maharashtra and Kerala are still shut,” he added, pointing out that Hindi, English, Marathi and Konkani language films are popular in this order, among the theatre-going people in Goa.
To try and increase revenue, INOX is offering private screenings and food delivery service. INOX is exploring day long multi-meal service windows to deliver breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner orders. INOX will make food available on online food ordering platforms, Bhandarkar said.
