Single theatres and multiplexes are sporting a dull look following a considerable decrease in the number of people coming in to watch night shows.
“Evening matches cast a shadow on movies resulting in a 25 to 30 per cent decline in the ticket sales,” said an official of a renowned multiplex in the city. “In the first few seasons of the IPL, film producers avoided movie releases, fearing that the matches would affect the box-office, but now the situation is not the same,” he informed.
Also he added that occupancy for night shows has come down by 45 per cent during matches between popular teams.
However, movie buffs like Ganga Balasubramaniam (42) says that there is an overdose of cricket everywhere. She says she prefers watching movies in theatres to cricket matches. “The scorching heat has played spoilsport as I am not even able to watch matinee shows in theatres,” she complains.
“I am forced to remain indoors to watch IPL matches with my son for company,” she says. On the other hand, cricket buffs like Sanjeev Kannan (24) and Vishnu Prasad (26) are quite disappointed that the matches are not being screened at the multiplexes, and theatre owners were unavailable for comment.