Mohua Das (THE TIMES OF INDIA; May 10, 2020)

Theaters faded to black and movies vanished from the box office as the Coronavirus turned into a massive speed bump for the burgeoning movie exhibition industry of nearly 9,600 screens in the country. After all, cinema houses are about large numbers of people huddled together, just inches away from each other.

“The pandemic has left a massive impact on the cinema exhibition industry. Movie releases are deferred, operations are shut, inflow of cash has entirely stopped. The industry has faced various crises in its history, but what it is going through was not envisaged,” said Alok Tandon, CEO, Inox Leisure, a multiplex chain with screens across 68 cities.

“Movie theatres were one of the first public spaces to shut with no visibility on when we might reopen. Most multiplexes were on a growth trajectory with funds deployed in new multiplexes which have all come to a sudden halt,” rued Sanjeev Bijli, joint managing director, PVR Cinemas.

The Multiplex Association of India (MAI), that represents around 90% of the multiplex industry in India, made an appeal to landlords in March asking for a “complete waiver from payment of rent & common area maintenance dues during the lockdown and recuperating period,” while multiplexes like Inox and PVR have already invoked the force majeure clause to their developers, to tide over the pandemic. In another plea last week, MAI urged studios, producers and content creators to respect “exclusive theatrical window” — holding and releasing their films in theatres, once they open again before opting for broader distribution, such as release on DVD, satellite channels or streaming platforms.

“This temporary relief would ensure that the cinema industry does not die an instant death leaving a significant impact on shopping malls across the country, millions of lost jobs and unwanted litigation,” explained Deepak Asher, president of MAI.

The challenge is trickier for single screen theatres that have been battling depleting revenues for years. Nitin Datar of Cinema Owners & Exhibitors Association of India (COEAI) wrote to the chief minister’s office last week appealing for “waiver on property tax” and “sharing of 70% of staff salary” to prevent retrenchment.

But even as the movie theatre business cracks under the pressure of uncertainty — with revenues of at least Rs 1,500 crore a month plummeting to zero — movie operators believe that the charm of a larger-than-life screen and people’s desire to step out will remain intact.

If history is anything to go by, many a thing has threatened movie theatres in the past — the 1918 Spanish flu, war-time restrictions, invention of television, VCRs, the Internet, and more recently the streaming platforms — yet, like a phoenix, the big screen has always found its way to rise and cope. “Because it’s integral to our social fabric,” pointed out Bijli.

Preparing to re-emerge in a world where physical distancing is crucial to survival, both multiplexes and standalone theatres are devising a chapter that will be different from what was built as a communal experience.

Apart from thermo-guns, sanitiser stations, hygiene kits, paperless transactions, and rigorous disinfecting procedures everyday, multiplexes like Inox and PVR will introduce seat distancing through “cross-allocation” of seats. “The model ensures that there’d be no one seated behind, ahead, or adjacent to the seat assigned to a guest. Online booking will be programmed to allocate seats in that order. Movie shows would be scheduled in a manner to avoid overlap of entry, intermissions and exits and to avoid crowding of lobbies and restrooms,” explained Tandon.

“The menu will be truncated to ‘hero’ items — popcorn, cola and nachos, that can be machine dispensed,” said Bijli, adding that “although it is difficult to contemplate the future, it’s reassuring when we look at China, Sweden, Korea and America that recently re-opened a limited number of theatres. We’re in touch with the Global Cinema Federation and trying to set protocols according to their standards.”

Apart from assuring seat distancing in standalone cinemas, COEAI has also urged the government for an interest-free loan of Rs 50,000 for each owner of ‘touring talkies’ — a dwindling exhibition culture of travelling theatres in rural areas — that now fears total extinction under the weight of the virus.