Several cinemas in different parts of the country are preparing to down shutters once again. Unlike during the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021, the closing down this time has nothing to do with government orders but everything to do with the lack of flow of films.
As cinemas are closed in Delhi and many other cities of North India and governments of various state governments have reintroduced COVID regulations like cinemas to operate at lower capacities, cinemas to shut down early because of extended night curfew hours, etc., producers have postponed their new film releases. New release dates are not forthcoming as the situation is very uncertain. Given this scenario, the flow of new films has almost stopped completely. With 83, Pushpa (dubbed) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (English and Hindi dubbed) having almost exhausted their runs in the cinemas, it is becoming more and more difficult for cinemas to keep running the show.
Had it been a question of one or two more weeks only, cinemas would have continued to screen the aforementioned films or would have shown repeat-run films for the next week or two. But one really doesn’t know when the cinemas which are shut due to government orders will reopen, and when the cinemas operating below capacity, again following government orders, will be permitted to function at full capacity. In other words, one is not sure when the flow of new releases will start. The only option left for several single-screen cinemas will be to down shutters. Even multiplexes may be forced to close down some screens due to lack of playing programmes.
