Coronarvirus intermission? More than 80% of film audience miss theatres

That and more is what ‘Back to the Theatre’, consulting firm Ormax Media’s report on the ‘Expected theatre-going behaviour in India post Covid-19,’ states

This is something squabbling theatre chains, studios, and even over-the-top (OTT) providers should read. Audiences are missing theatres desperately and will go back to them within two-three weeks of them reopening. All those hours of films on television and OTT have not reduced the audience’s need for the theatrical experience. However, the precautions taken for social distancing and sanitisation by theatres will play a crucial role in their decision to visit. They would rather have theatres keep the ticket price unchanged and spend money on implementing safety measures than discount ticket prices.

That and more is what ‘Back to the Theatre’, consulting firm Ormax Media’s report on the ‘Expected theatre-going behaviour in India post Covid-19,’ states. It is based on online interviews with 1,000 people across 58 cities in India.Since Ormax self-funded the research, the sample is small but it is “representative,” asserts Shailesh Kapoor, chief executive officer, Ormax Media. Each of the respondents is a regular theatregoer — watched a film in a theatre at least once in two months.

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More than 80 per cent of the Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu film audience miss the theatres. Note that these are the three largest segments of the Rs 19,100-crore Indian film business. Much of the report is bound bring cheer to the industry. There are, however, two things that could be downers…Read Full Story