Ronnie Screwvala says theatres won’t open up before October

The coronavirus pandemic brought the entire world to a standstill and that also includes the Bollywood industry since both releases and shooting for films were put on an indefinite hold. With the government implementing the unlock hoping to bring life back to normal, Bollywood films are expected to go on floors soon as well. However, there still remains uncertainty over when will movie theatres be back open for the public.

Bollywood producer Ronnie Screwvala, who has 12 films in pipeline, feels that the cinema halls won’t be ready to use before October or at least until there’s a vaccine available. He said, “Mumbai and Delhi, which account for 65 per cent of the box-office, are the worst-hit cities right now. Until they open up, nobody will want a release in only Pune, Nagpur and Kanpur. Makers of big films will wait to see if people are coming back to the cinemas. I don’t see some of them arriving this year. I don’t see theatres opening till October and even when they do, they won’t run to full capacity until the vaccine arrives. Entertainment will be the last priority for people. Next year, one will feel the pinch because there will be a drought of releases as few new films will roll for the next six – seven months, so there won’t be any more fights for the weekends. There aren’t too many films in the waiting, and you will see the gap over the next 18 months.”

Well, we sure miss watching Bollywood movies on the big screen and hope that we can get back to doing that as soon as possible. Until then, it is better to undertake the necessary precautions and prioritise social distancing.