The theatres in Kerala have been open for almost three months now, but it looks like there could be yet another theatrical shut down. The past 48 hours have shown that the number of people infected by the Covid-19 virus, the Omicron variant or any other variant of the coronavirus has drastically increased and multiple schools and colleges have already shut down again. While it might be a little soon for a statewide lockdown, we wouldn’t be surprised if theatres in the State Government orders theatres to be shut down. With the cinema halls in Kerala having already lost 15 months, theatre owners can’t afford yet another theatrical shut down.
The outbreak and response of the Nipah virus within Kerala helped in preparing the State Government for the coronavirus… well during the first wave at least. Still, the theatre shut down within the state was among the longest around the globe, with the Kerala Government only allowing theatres to open by 2021, nine months after the nationwide lockdown happened. Three months later, due to the surge of Covid-19 cases because of the second wave, another theatre shut down happened, which went on for another six months.
During these past 15 months, 50 films with over Rs. 400 crores budget has been stuck in the pipeline waiting for a theatrical release. The recent Omicron outbreak, threatens both theatre owners and film producers, with some still waiting for theatres to reopen since March 2020. Films like Kurup and Ajagajantharam have revitalised the theatre-going crowd and cinema halls have started to make money, but another lockdown could prove to be detrimental. The second wave of the Covid-19 virus closed many theatres within Kerala, but we believe that many prominent theatre chains could close for good if the current rise in patient numbers cause yet another theatre shut down.