Theatres to be opened in AP, but uncertainty looms large

The Andhra Pradesh government today announced that cinema halls can be reopened from July 8 along with restaurants, gyms and wedding halls. This comes as an encouraging piece of news on the face of it.

However, uncertainty will continue to loom large. The State will have theatres running only at 50% capacity, thereby putting at risk the prospective release of medium-range movies such as ‘Tuck Jagadish’ and ‘Love Story’. Even movies such as ‘Akhanda’ will not choose to be out when theatres are not functioning at their maximum potential.

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Also, the issue of ticket pricing still remains unresolved in AP. The government has fixed low ticket rates. There was a rumour that a panel headed by Megastar Chiranjeevi will call on the Chief Minister regarding this.

Meanwhile, theatres in Telangana are permitted to operate at their fullest capacity. But unless AP too joins the State in providing the right environment, film producers and distributors can’t hope much.

It’s hoped that, if there is no third wave, things will be back on track by the end of July.

Meanwhile, the Telangana Film Chamber of Commerce recently urged the film producers not to sell off their movies to OTT platforms till October.