MUMBAI, Sept 26 (NNN-PTI) – India’s western state of Maharashtra decided to reopen cinema halls and drama theatres in the state from Oct 22.
The reopening of the cinema halls, which are shut since Apr, after the second wave of COVID-19 struck, are subject to compliance of the standard operating procedure, to be issued shortly, to curb the spread of the virus, said Uddhav Thackeray, chief minister of the state, yesterday.
Maharashtra, the worst affected state, with over 42,000 active cases, has around 1,000 cinemas that contribute 25-30 percent of the box office collection in the country.
In 2020, India was the fifth-largest box office market, in terms of revenues, at 0.4 billion U.S. dollars, according to media analysts.
The cinema industry run into an extremely adverse and hostile situation in India during the pandemic, as it was among the first venues to be shut down and may be the last sector to reopen, after schools and religious places in the country.– NNN-PTI
