Small Single Screen Theaters To Perish?

Theaters and Multiplexes across the Telugu States are reeling under severe financial losses. While the Big Chains are looking for more funding to keep them afloat, small theaters are literally bleeding and are heading towards bankruptcy. After the Lockdown eases, they face a major challenge to bring the audience to theaters.

The theaters are mulling options like – leaving one seat between every two seats, physical distancing within theatre premises, cleaning the restrooms after every usage, to delivery of food and beverages to the seats, etc. Multiplexes could afford them but small single-screen theaters that operate from small premises and little margins will struggle to implement them.

Implementing these measures will mean more expenses and more losses. Leaving one seat between a certain group would eat into 16-20% of capacity. Senior Producer cum Distributor Suresh Babu also hinted that the ticket prices may have to come down at least for a short period to bring the audience to the theaters.

“All these factors combined with the economic slowdown will make small theaters business extremely untenable,” the theater owners say. Governments already hint that crowded places like theaters and malls would be last in their list if Lockdown is eased in phases.