TIRUPATI: After a brief hiatus of three months, cinema theatres have resumed with 50 per cent occupancy from Friday in Tirupati. Out of 12 to 14 cinema theatres in temple city, only three—Group, Sandhya and PGR Cinemas—have opened shutters.
Although the State government allowed cinemas to operate with 50 per cent occupancy, the audience turnout was very poor on the first day with limited movie releases. The theatres have screened ‘Thimmarusu’, ‘Ishq’ and ‘Narasimha Puram’, which were released on Friday.
The cinema theatres have opened amid strict adherence to Covid-19 protocols. Theatre managements have set up sanitisers at multiple places on the premises. Speaking to TNIE, Purandar, owner of VV Mahal Theatre said lack of big cinema releases and limited movies was the main reason for not reopening many theatres. Small films are not viable and fail to pull the majority of the audience.
Another owner, Lookanatham said, authorities have not given permission for night shows, which is not viable. The 50 per cent occupancy cap will not provide enough money for maintenance costs also. Considering the response, we will think of reopening other theatres in the coming days.