The success of films like ‘Master’ and ‘Roberrt’ proves that the Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t killed people’s love for the big-screen experience.
However, movie buffs are increasingly conscious of safety and comfort, and are forcing old cinema halls to spruce up.
The iconic Prasanna theatre on Magadi Road is the latest single screen set to be renovated. “In the next three months, we will pick a window with no big releases and shut the theatre for a month,” S T Anand, owner, told Metrolife.
In 1974, Dr Rajkumar and B Saroja Devi opened the theatre with a screening of ‘Bhakta Kumbara’. In recent years, the 1,000-seater, which predominantly screens Kannada films, had barely functional seating and sound.
“People expect the comfort of multiplexes. We are focusing on the design. We will change the air conditioning as well,” said Anand.
Just before theatres shut because of the pandemic lockdown, another famous theatre Navrang underwent a major overhaul.
The huge theatre on Dr Rajkumar Road, Rajajinagar, started out in the 1960s.
In the last two decades, Navrang’s broken seats and dingy toilets had become major problems.
“People demand a great atmosphere while watching a movie,” says Navrang’s owner KCN Mohan. “Now, our toilets match the standard of five-star restaurants.”
The theatre takes pride in recalling that it has screened all of Rajkumar's films. The seats are now bigger and the carpets are new. The building has also received a fresh coat of paint.
With Atmos Sound and RGB Laser projector, Victory Cinema (earlier Vishal) on Magadi Road is drawing big crowds again. Poor maintenance had kept family audiences away.
“In the last 10 years, theatres near us upgraded and that hit our business,” says owner LC Kushal.
A renovation results in fewer seats and a marginal increase in ticket prices. Prasanna, which has 354 seats in the balcony, will only have 170 in the new avatar. “After the first weekend, we only have 40-50 per cent occupancy. Big films sign a deal with OTT platforms and are online within three weeks of release. So, instead of having more empty seats, it’s better to increase the theatre’s overall quality,” says Anand.
“Our maintenance increased three-fold so we had to slightly raise ticket rates,” says Kushal.
Victory Cinema, with a single class of 550 seats, charges Rs 200 per ticket.
A balcony ticket at Navrang costs Rs 150 and a second-class ticket Rs 120. Prices vary for big-budget films.
People are still loyal to single screens. “After the renovation, Victory Cinema made Rs 12 lakh in the first four days of Roberrt. Otherwise, we would have struggled to reach even Rs 6 lakh,” says Kushal.
“We made Rs 1 crore in 10 weeks of Darshan’s Kurukshetra (2019) at Prasanna. So after the renovation, we expect even better business,” says Anand.