Theatre owners struggle to stay afloat

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Though the state government has eased the lockdown restrictions, no announcement regarding the reopening of theatres has been made yet. This has left many cinema theatre owners in crisis, especially since they are spending a huge sum on maintenance of equipment despite not having any income.“Theatres started functioning in January, after nine months. We had suffered huge losses last year including equipment damage. We are facing the same situation this year too. Rats have infested the cinema halls and seats have been damaged by fungus. This has added to the maintenance cost,” said Santosh Vallakalil, a theatre owner at Mavelikkara. Staffs are only being paid half of the salary, he said.

Another major issue is the hefty electricity bill, Santhosh says. “Over Rs 20,000 is being spent on electricity monthly with an additional fixed charge of Rs 64,000. Last year, the government had given us relaxation in the fixed charges, but that didn’t happen this year,” he added.

More than 12,000 employees are employed at theatres across the state. Apart from them, more than 10,000 people depend on the sector for running canteens and promoting movies. Lockdown affected all their livelihoods. “I started a multiplex theatre equipped with Dolby Atmos speakers last year, spending `8 crore. The theatre has been closed since and I am unable to pay the interest amount of `16 crore,” says Ani, owner of Sri Kalidas M Plex, Kattakada.

Disappointing spell
In January, there was a flurry of movie releases. However, only a few films pulled in revenue, owners claim. “The reopening film was Vijay-starrer Master, but we weren’t able to gain much revenue from it. Even The Priest, starring Mammootty, wasn’t a big hit. From January to March, I incurred a loss of `9 lakh. Many filmmakers are opting for OTT release, which is also affecting the revenue of the theatres. Last year, banks had given moratoriums but this year we haven’t got anything. This has also left many theatre owners struggling to pay back the loans,” says Gireesh Chandran of Sree Padmanabha and Devipriya theatres in the capital.

Gireesh says the theatre owners are pinning their hopes on Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham, a big-budget movie starring Mohanlal. It is all set to hit the screens in August following an agreement between the Film Exhibitors’ United Organisation of Kerala and the Kerala Film Producers’ Association.