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Trade Tutor: Jersey, RRR, Prithviraj delayed; Why are cinema halls 1st to close & last to open post lockdown?
Since theatres are the first to close and the last to open, trade tutor Vishek Chauhan lists down reasons why he feels the closure of cinemas is not justified
I was in Delhi, when Mr. Kejriwal announced that he would be closing movie theatres due to the rising Covid cases across the Capital. Delhi had 350+ cases that day and cinemas were closed. Exhibitors pleaded but to no avail. This act set the ball in motion that led to the postponement of ‘Jersey’ and subsequently ‘RRR’ and now virtually the entire slate has been postponed. Since then many states have either shut cinemas down or crippled it (Night curfews, weekend close, capacity constraints etc). I came back to Bihar yesterday. Delhi Airport was packed to capacity with the odd announcement of social distancing. The Airline that I travelled in was sold out. I think we were sitting so close that we could hear each other’s thoughts. Bagdogra Airport was bustling with activity too. All along the way I found everything open and people carrying on with their lives. Markets were open, shops were open and basically everything seemed normal. I, on the other hand, came back to close my cinema for the third time in 21 months. Nope, life isn’t normal for us. From having the best month in years, to coming to term with Lockdown in a span of 15 days, is cruel.
Talk to any cinema owner and they will tell you that they were the first to close and the last to open. Try digging in a little deeper and they will confess that they feel discriminated and feel singled out for reasons unexplained. Some have exited and some are in the process of exiting. The ones who chose to continue are frustrated and many heard stories of employees of cinemas crying when the news of closure of cinemas came in various states. It's not only about the money, it’s about the reason you get up every morning. It’s "Your Raison D’Etre!". Our lives come to a standstill and believe me it’s a sickening feeling.
I still can’t get round to the fact why cinemas are closed first and opened last. Let me list out some reasons in our defense.
Outbreak- There is no evidence of any outbreak reported in the world that could be traced back to a movie theatre.
Space- With 50% capacity constraints on an average 150 folks occupy a theatre. The size of an average auditorium varies between 3000-10000 sq. ft. That is a huge amount of space for every person in the auditorium. Height is a minimum 20 ft. There is ample space around for people to comfortably watch.
Mask- While watching a film you are mandated to keep your mask on and at no point you are required to take it off.
Controlled Environment- A movie theatre is a controlled environment. The flow and movement can easily be monitored, curtailed and managed.
Vaccinated Staff- Most theatres have staff that have been fully vaccinated and are checked daily for vitals.
Air Ventilation and Sanitization- Theatres are equipped with good air filtration technology and mandatory sanitization after each show
Despite all our efforts, we could not convince our Governments otherwise. The perception hasn’t changed since March 2020. We are staring at a similar situation again and we have been disrupted for the third time. It will take another 2-3 months post opening to get the ball rolling again which was rolling terrifically in December.
I really don’t understand why, despite all data favoring us, we are closed first. Airlines are clearly more dangerous as that’s how the virus travels globally. So, it’s clearly not about safety. In restaurants you have to remove your mask to eat or drink. Public transport, markets etc. all have the same degree of risk or probably more than a theatre. Are we closed because we contribute too less to the exchequer? Or is it because by closing us, a perception of severity is sent down the line? Or is it because we just don’t matter??
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