After 6 Months: Cinema halls reopen but patrons keep their distance from the box office

At a particular screening for PVR employees at Vasant Kunj’s Promenade Mall Thursday. Tashi Tobgyal

From the time one steps into the constructing and enters the cinema corridor, the quite a few ‘welcome again’ posters which can be unfold all around the complicated sign how eagerly multiplexes have been ready to reopen. On Thursday, as cinema halls opened after six months, viewers have been greeted with new protocols — social distancing circles, thermal checks and hand sanitiser stands.

As a substitute of bodily checking, a employees member at Cinepolis, on the Savitri Complicated in Larger Kailash-II, equipped in a masks, face protect and gloves, requested if the individual had any of the prohibited objects listed on a board. Within the foyer, folks sat on alternate chairs — which had been marked with stickers — till the screening started.

Among the many five-six individuals who had come to Cinepolis — one of many few halls screening movies on Thursday — was Ghaziabad resident Karan Tyagi. “I desperately wished to observe a film in a corridor, one thing I did usually earlier than the lockdown. The corridor close to my dwelling (a PVR corridor) opens on Friday, so I made a decision to come back right here,” mentioned the 30-year-old.

Watching a film on the massive display was an “escape” from his hectic life, he mentioned, as he had not too long ago misplaced his job at an organization in Gurgaon. For the afternoon present, at 2.30 pm, the corridor was screening the Taapsee Pannu-starrer Thappad, which had launched on February 28 and was one of many final films to be screened in halls earlier than the nationwide lockdown was introduced on March 24.

Producers have re-released a choose few films from earlier this 12 months, which incorporates 1917, Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan, Malang, amongst others. “We had three exhibits deliberate for Thursday. Within the morning, we screened Malang, which noticed about three to 4 folks within the viewers, whereas Thappad had about six folks. The night present has about 12 bookings until now,” mentioned a employees member.

All of the employees members spoke to mentioned they have been comfortable to return to work and it felt like “homecoming”. That they had spent the final six months coaching for the brand new protocols for reopening.

The meals menu was restricted to popcorn, nachos and gentle drinks, and there was a plastic protect on the two money counters. The modes of fee at this corridor have been by means of card or money and the invoice was despatched digitally on the client’s telephone quantity. Contained in the corridor, seating capability was diminished by 50% and each alternate seat had been marked with a tape, making them unavailable for folks to take a seat on and keep bodily distance.

Rajiv Pathak (40), who had gotten off work early Thursday, determined to observe a film as he was curious concerning the new protocols. “I wished to expertise how secure the viewing expertise is so I might include my household subsequent time,” mentioned Pathak, a resident of Govindpuri.
For banker Atul Singh Rawat (23), going for a film was a weekly ritual, regardless of the evaluations it obtained. Nevertheless, he’s now going to be picky.

“I’ve come in the present day simply to rejoice my good friend’s birthday, and in addition as a result of the ticket was priced at Rs 100, which is nearly half the standard value. In any other case, I feel most of us have moved to streaming companies and learnt to entertain ourselves at dwelling. If I come once more, it can solely be for an enormous launch,” he mentioned.

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