In a move to attract patrons, multiplexes INOX and PVR Cinemas are now offering private screenings where customers can book the entire cinema hall in selected centres.
The step aims to increase the low footfall being recorded in cinema halls after they reopened in several states.
While INOX first introduced to offer bookings for private screenings to host get-together parties, starting from Rs 2,999, PVR Cinemas followed the suit and introduced a package starting from Rs 1,999.
According to a Moneycontrol report, most of the cinema halls that have reopened are re-releasing old films, and the overall revenue stands between Rs 4-5 lakh. “We are looking at introducing new and innovative solutions that shall bring the patrons back to the theatres,” PVR Cinemas CEO Gautam Dutta told Moneycontrol.
Theatres across the country, as well as worldwide, were forced to shut down in March due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The Central government permitted theatres to reopen on October 15 by adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols and with 50% seating capacity.
Theatres in New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal reopened on the same day and recorded low footfall and new film releases.
Recommended
In West Bengal, despite 10 new Bengali films releasing during Durga puja, theatre owners claimed that they could not attract audiences due to low patronage. Meanwhile, in Karnataka, while some theatres have reopened, a few film exhibitors and producers are in a tussle whether to reopen the theatres or not and in Tamil Nadu, producers have announced that no new releases will happen until the deadlock over VPF (Virtual Print Fee) charges, demanded by the digital service providers, gets cleared by theatre owners.
Meanwhile, films awaiting theatrical releases this year include Tillotama Shome’s Sir, Ranveer Singh’s 83, Akshay Kumar’s Prithviraj, Shemaroo Entertainment Limited production Pepper Chicken, David Fincher’s Mank, SVF production’s Dracula Sir (pan-India release), among others.