Several single-screen theatres, including Priya, Basusree, Menoca and Ajanta, have been temporarily closed due to the scarce footfalls amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last month, the West Bengal government had allowed cinema halls to be reopened before Durga Puja. Though several major films were released, single-screen theatre owners could barely manage to make ends meet.
According to Arijit Dutta, owner of Priya cinema, the situation is not very encouraging at this juncture. "We can't run shows with such low audience count," he said. "Electricity charges and recurring establishment charges have to be paid. We have to wait till the situation improves.”
Speaking to the Press Trust of India news agency, Dutta added, “One big-banner Bengali release on Christmas won't be able to salvage the situation. We need more content-rich films that have the capacity to draw audiences.”
Satadip Saha, one of the owners of Ajanta cinema and a prominent distributor, said various attempts have been made to attract audiences. “From screening Sushant Singh Rajput films to the latest Durga Puja releases featuring Bengali stars, we have tried everything but could not run any film for more than a week. At times, a show was attended by not more than four or five people. Together, the number of viewers on a single day didn't go beyond 30,” he said.
Basusree’s owner Sourav Bose and Ashoka cinema’s owner Prabir Roy said both are awaiting major releases at Christmas.
Navin Choukhani, the owner of Navina cinema, has a different perspective on the current scenario. “We are keeping our hall open this year as it is a matter of survival and not profit. We have to think about our employees and pay their salaries. We have reaped profits with Bengali films for so many years and now we must endure the hardship for the sake of Bengali cinema,” he said.