Uttar Pradesh government had permitted the resumption of cinema halls and multiplexes from July 5 but the owners have refused to revive operations at these facilities. Previously, the UP Cinema Exhibitors Federation had stated that the centres would be reopened on July 9 but this plan will not be materialised now. Given the restrictions of night curfew and weekend curfew, the halls would fail to attract people even if they are reopened.
Business to remain low even if centres revive due to no new releases
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Federation president, Ashish Agarwal, said, “There is no point in reopening cinema halls- single screen and multiplexes- from Friday because the weekend closure on Saturday and Sunday continues. Most families watch films on weekends because it is a holiday for all. Moreover, the night curfew that begins at 9 PM means that we cannot run night shows. In such a situation, there is no point in reopening halls to empty shows.”
In view of these issues, the cinema and multiplex owners have requested the government to do away with the weekend and night curfews. The federation has stated that centres will be revived only after the current restrictions are removed.
Meanwhile, a multiplex manager in Lucknow said, “In any case there are no new films releasing at the moment so business is going to be low. These restrictions will further dent business. Unless cinema halls are allowed to run through the week, the new films will not be released. After all, who wants to release films on 20 per cent business.”
– With inputs from IANS
