Silver screens still grey
Cinema halls across the country, much like most countries of the world, have had their lights out for six months now owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, and those few still involved with the industry can only see bleak days ahead.
Single-screen theatres have seen a drastic decline in numbers over the last two decades, and the 70-odd in the country that were in operation, have missed out on the three big occasions where mainstream movies makes business – Pahela Baishakh, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha – as people were confined to their homes to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
A beacon of hope for them came late last month when the government recently floated a plan to form a Tk 700 crore fund to help the industry, but some industry insiders are still sceptical.
However, owners of theatres have doubts about whether these plans will truly help sustain them.
Iftekhar Uddin Naushad, owner of the capital's Modhumita cinema hall, said, "If we cannot produce good quality movies, can we truly expect people to support our content? We can't even bring foreign movies, and under such circumstances, it will be impossible to keep the market alive in the long run."
He also noted that if the allocated government fund does not reach the right people, then all these plans will go to waste.
The news that the Bashundhara City outlet of Star Cineplex -- the first multiplex in the country – was shutting down, generated a buzz in the media earlier this month. However, the decision was later reverted, much to the rejoice of cinephiles in the capital. However, there is still no news on when they can actually visit the theatre to catch their favorite films on the big screen.
Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, senior manager (media and marketing) at Star Cineplex, said they have been eagerly waiting to resume operations. "We have the movies lined up. We are just waiting for the government's instructions for reopening," he told this newspaper.
If the halls are given the green signal to reopen by the end of this month, Star Cineplex plans to have a premiere of "Wonder Woman 1984", one of the most-anticipated Hollywood releases of the year.
Similarly, authorities of Balaka Cinema Hall said they are also waiting for an official notice from the government.
While a number of local films are awaiting their theatrical releases, owners of cinema halls are concerned about maintaining the moviegoing culture and drawing audiences back to the theatres, as people are turning to streaming services more than ever to watch movies at home, and with the threat of the coronavirus still very much present, the question of survival looms large over the cinema theatres of the country.
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