B’luru multiplexes attract sizeable viewers; tepid response in single screens
Bengaluru: On the first day of screening after a long hiatus, movies received a lukewarm response in single screen theatres while the multiplexes attracted above average viewers’ response in the city on Friday.
Speaking to the media, Deepak, the manager of PVR screens in Orion Mall, expressed happiness over the movie buffs’ response.
“We have 11 screens, but we are operating only five screens on the first day to test the viewers’ response. Bookings saw 20 to 25 per cent footfalls, which is beyond our expectations,” he said.
According to Deepak, due to the Covid protocols in place, only 50 per cent seats could be booked, and going by this yardstick, a footfall of 20 to 25 per cent is almost 50 per cent full, and hence it was unexpected by their standards.
Among the single screen theatres in the city, Santosh was screening Kannada movie ‘Shivarjuna’ starring Chiru Sarja, who passed away due to a cardiac arrest two months ago.
His mother, who is fondly called as ‘Ammaji’, came to watch her son’s movie and throughout the movie, she cried remembering her son, said the manager of Santhosh theatre, Biddappa.
According to him, a total of 48 tickets were sold for the first show, which is not even 1 per cent of its total seating capacity of 1,200 seats.
“Even if we take into account the 50 per cent occupancy protocol, it was less,” Biddappa said,even as he expressed confidence that the footfalls may increase during the weekend.
He added that the theatre has taken steps to reduce the ticket rates by Rs 20 for balcony seats from Rs 120 to Rs 100, while second class ticket prices have been slashed to Rs 90 from Rs 100.