When Stephen Fernandes contemplates an evening out with his
family, he runs through various options in his head and then settles for a
movie show at the local theatre followed by dinner. It makes for an
entertaining time out with everyone. Everyone discusses the movie and the
entire experience which is then followed by a hearty meal that leaves everyone
feeling very happy. That was not the case for two years and the virus wrecked
havoc and caused economic and financial hardship. Now with the effects of the
virus having decreased economic activity is being restored with increasing
vigor. Malls and open yes the theatres are operating too. Showcasing movies
without the restrictions that marked its operations for the first couple of
months after the lockdown was eased. The theatre management who had struggled
to stay afloat was assisted by the fact that movies that were released managed
to catch the imagination of the public.
The choice of the movies that hit the
theatres was varied and hit the spots that mattered to the paying public. From
Gangubai Kathiawadi, RRR, KGF, Pushpa –The Rising and the Kashmir Files
generated huge revenue for their producers. Media interest in movies like
Kashmir Files created a buzz around it leading to packed cinema halls around
the country and even in parts of the world. This begs the question how did the
cinema chains in Goa fare. Were they able to generate revenue that helped them
wipe some of the red off their financial sheets?
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Milena Rodrigues of 1930 Vasco said business was good again. She
said “Response has been good. This is due to the good content we have and this
has guaranteed full houses especially over the weekend. On Friday, Saturday and
Sunday, we are packed from the afternoon. With regards to the weekdays, if
there are really good movies, then we could have a full house later in the
evening. You have to remember the people who come here have jobs to attend to
during the week”. A junior executive of another theatre who is not authorized
to speak to the media and who is based in the south said the Kashmir Files had
been a smash hit and had generated good revenue.
Another person who likes to watch movies only in the theatre
said he had watched three movies over the weekend spread over two days and the
halls were packed especially for The Kashmir Files. He said the theatre chains
should consider themselves lucky because there were so many movies that had
come together and caught the attention of the viewers.
This is not to say that the industry has not suffered. The
landscape is dotted with theatres that have shut down or were considering their
future. Roshan AM who has been watching movies in cinemas for a couple of
decades because as he put it that was the only way to watch a movie said it was
getting increasingly more expensive to watch a movie due to the increase in the
cost of the peripherals. He said “My kids need snacks and that is now even more
expensive and the amount of money in the hand is still finite. Yes, the movies
currently being screened are entertaining but costs cannot continue to be
increased. The cinema chains have to generate a profit to stay in business but
we need to be able to pay those prices to watch those movies.”
Attempts
to call senior management of national cinema chains based in Goa proved futile
as calls were not returned. One can only hope the chains make money so as to
ensure they continue to bring in more movies but it would also be nice if costs
of watching a movie are kept in control.
