India will allow 100% occupancy in cinemas from 1 February, announced the country’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Saturday. The cinemas started to reopen in October 2020 with 50% occupancy.
“The seating arrangement inside the auditorium of cinemas / theaters / multiplexes must be allowed up to 100% of the capacity”, says a note from the ministry.
Film screening, however, will not be allowed in places designated as COVID-19 containment zones.
The ministry also released a list of standard operating procedures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which visitors and cinema workers must follow at all times.
In cinemas, a physical distance of at least six feet is required outside auditoriums, common areas and waiting rooms at all times, and the use of covers / masks is mandatory. Spitting is strictly prohibited and the use of ‘arogya setu’, the government’s tracking app, is recommended.
The thermal screening of visitors and employees will be carried out at points of entry and only asymptomatic individuals may enter. Designated queue markers must be made available for the audience to enter and exit the auditorium and the premises, and the exits must be in the form of a staggered row to avoid crowding. The show times will be staggered.
The frequent cleaning of all facilities, common facilities and all points that come into human contact, such as handles and grilles, must be guaranteed, and the cinemas must be cleaned after each screening.
The temperature in the cinemas must be kept between 24-30 ° C, and the relative humidity must be in the range of 40-70%. Air recirculation should be avoided as much as possible, with provision for cross ventilation and fresh air.
Online or cell phone reservations are recommended for tickets and concessions. In general, hand sanitizers should be available everywhere.
Meanwhile, the total number of active coronavirus cases in India fell to 169,824 on January 30, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and vaccination remains accelerated. “India is the fastest country to achieve not only the target of one million, but also two million and three million marks in the vaccination COVID-19,” said a statement from the ministry on Saturday. “Several other countries that had an initial advantage, some up to 40-50 days, took longer to achieve these goals.”
India’s leading multiplexes welcomed the move.
“This is welcome news, finally, that would give a much needed boost to the multiplex industry. We thank the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for their decision to allow 100% of the seating capacity in cinemas, ”said Gautam Dutta, CEO of the PVR network. Variety. “India has done well to control the spread of COVID-19 along with the large-scale implementation of vaccination. This move would give producers confidence to release their long-awaited films and (for) the public to return to cinemas to watch their favorite films in the company of their loved ones. PVR continues to maintain safety and hygiene first and will (will) comply with all government-established SOPs. “
“For the revival of the cinema exhibition industry, relaxation of seating standards was a vital prerequisite. We are grateful to the I&B Ministry and we are absolutely excited about the revised guidelines that allow 100% seats in cinemas, ”said Alok Tandon, CEO of the Inox chain. Variety. “This would ease the apprehensions of content producers and studios, who are now able to announce the release dates for their films. We now expect state governments to provide us with authorization to implement the revised guidelines. “
The increase in capacity will be a relief to stakeholders as several major films, including “83”, starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, “Sooryavanshi”, starring Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn and Singh, and “Radhe” starring by Salman Khan have been ready for months and waiting for release.
Khan assured exhibitors that he would retain “Radhe” for a theatrical release, as opposed to several landmark films in 2020 that went straight to streaming.
#Radhe pic.twitter.com/0VMAbeqGyV
– Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) January 19, 2021
After the announcement, “Karnan”, in Tamil language, starring Dhanush, who was waiting for a theatrical release, announced that his debut would be in April.
Karnan’s release announcement. https://t.co/WKYC5PXxn8 pic.twitter.com/hW37A3Y2o2
– Dhanush (@dhanushkraja) January 31, 2021
“Master”, starring Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi, was released in theaters with 50% occupancy allowed during the Pongal holiday and grossed $ 33 million. The broadcast started on Amazon Prime Video on January 29.