For the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, cinema theatres in the State began functioning in full capacity.
With a significant drop in positive cases over the past few weeks, the State government had on February 27 announced more relaxations on the existing restrictions. Film buffs made a beeline to the theatres on Thursday morning following the release of two major films.
Tickets for many of the early shows were sold out.
Though Malayalam film industry bodies, especially those related to exhibitors and producers, have for long been demanding the government to allow the running of shows with 100% capacity, it had not relented due to the successive waves of the pandemic.
The theatres reopened after the first wave of COVID-19, but had to be closed again after the second wave hit. Before the second wave hit too, the organisations had insisted on permission to run the theatres at full occupancy, to ensure adequate profit.
They were reopened in November last year, after several months of remaining closed during the prolonged second wave. Even when the theatres had remained closed, around three employees were working in each theatre to run projectors, generators, and the air conditioning system for sometime everyday to ensure that these remain working.
The Omicron wave too came as a dampener for the industry, which was slowly recovering from multiple jolts. Although a couple of major films were released even during that period, a majority of the films were postponed as producers were not sure of people turning up in large numbers.
But the audience response to films such as Kurup and Hridayam, despite the prevailing pandemic situation and 50% occupancy in theatres, gave much hope to the industry.
Some producers meanwhile chose to release their films on OTT platforms rather than wait for the theatres to open in full capacity. But if the audience response to recent releases are anything to go by, more producers might now prefer to release their films in theatres.
