Multiplexes, theatres reopen in Hyderabad after Covid

Christopher Nolan’s sci-fiction thriller Tenet attracts Telugu audiences

Hyderabad: The excited mood was palpable when movie lovers thronged to multiplexes in the city on Friday when movie houses finally opened the business after a long-spell of uncertainty due to Covid-19 pandemic.

Hollywood filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi action-thriller ‘Tenet’ has seen significantly high advance bookings on the first day. Although the mood amid the results of GHMC elections kept people glued to news channels, many multiplexes like AMB Cinemas attracted audiences in good numbers given the extended weekend. AMB Cinemas is learnt to have run 13 shows on Friday with all safety protocol in place. As restrictions of the per-day show were eased following the directive from the State government, theatre owners are likely to cash on the opportunity to increase shows on a given day.

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While most of the multiplexes have registered full houses some of them saw a meager crowd. Other than ‘Tenet’, multiplexes are screening superstar Mahesh Babu’s ‘Sarileru Neekevvaru’ and Allu Arjun’s ‘Ala Vaikuntapuramuloo’. Meanwhile, single-screen theatres in city were reluctant to open as there are hardly any new releases to exhibit, according to a source.

“There is an upcoming Dhanush starrer which is being dubbed in Telugu and probably will be released on December 11. And we might have another big release of Sai Pallavi and Naga Chaitanya starrer ‘Love Story’ on December 25. Later, we have a series of big releases in the coming festival season in January,” said VL Sridhar of Asian Cinemas.

Apart from the regular sanitisation after every show, PVR Cinemas has set up UV cabinet and special disinfection regime is being followed every night with trained staff.

“We are pleased to be back to our customers by the reopening of cinemas in Telangana. This is also significant because Telangana occupies a significant percentage of our screen share, making it an important market. Big films like ‘Tenet’ will increase occupancy and numbers, and would further provide a great out-of-home experience for our patrons who were forced to stay in the confines of their homes for months. Our priority as we open our Cinemas in the region is to ensure the safety and security of our customers and employees by strictly adhering to all the safety protocols and guidelines laid down by the government and the global standards defined by the Global Cinema Federation,” said Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Cinemas.

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