Coronavirus | Malayalam film industry staring at yet another crisis with many theatres downing shutters

The Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala decided that the theatre owners can take a call on whether to continue functioning or not

The cinema theatre owners in Kerala, as well as the Malayalam film industry, are staring at yet another crisis with a majority of the theatres downing shutters for an indefinite period considering the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases. The theatres had started functioning only in January this year after a gap of nine months, following the first COVID-19 outbreak. In an online meeting on Tuesday, the Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) decided that the theatre owners can take a call on whether to continue functioning or not. "When we talked to the theatre owners, some were of the opinion that they don't want to keep the theatres open. However, some others said that a few of the new releases are still returning average collections and that closing down now would create losses for the producers. So, we left the choice on whether to function or not to the theatre owners. But we have made it clear that they have to follow all protocols and end the shows before 7.30 p.m," said Sumesh Joseph Manarkattu, General Secretary of FEUOK.