Photo essay: Multiplexes reopen after lockdown

/ 3 min read

Although multiplexes have reopened, the audience seems to be keeping away. Fortune India visited a few such theatres and was greeted with scattered crowds, empty corridors, and vacant seats.

Narendra Bisht
Credits: Narendra Bisht

It has been four days since cinema halls reopened in the country, and it seems only a few have mustered enough courage to venture out to watch a movie. The Covid-19 pandemic hit theatres hard and they were shut for over seven months. Finally, in the beginning of October, the government, under its Unlock 5.0 guidelines, allowed theatres outside the containment zones to open from October 15. The government also issued a fresh standard operating procedure and all multiplexes and single-screen operators were required to adhere to it.

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Although the cinema halls have reopened, the audience seems to be thin. Fortune India visited a few such theatres and was greeted with scattered crowds, empty corridors, and vacant seats. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that it seemed like a scene plucked out from a post-apocalyptic movie.

Credits: Narendra Bisht
Credits: Narendra Bisht
Credits: Narendra Bisht
Credits: Narendra Bisht
Credits: Narendra Bisht
Credits: Narendra Bisht
Credits: Narendra Bisht
Credits: Narendra Bisht