Uncertainty looms over multiplex reopening amid ongoing unrest

Due to the ongoing unrest over the quota reform movement, the country's cinemas are facing significant difficulties. Even five weeks into Eid, last week's audience interest in movies was noticeable. Weekend crowds were also evident. Those involved in the film industry were hopeful about the future. However, the sudden instability in the country has concerned cinema hall authorities. Although some single-screen cinemas have reopened today, the audience turnout is not the same as before. The multiplexes, however, remain uncertain about their reopening.

Last week, Star Cineplex had 48 shows of the movie "Toofan". A month after its release, this number of shows was unprecedented for any film. It was a record. Additionally, tickets were being sold online in large numbers across all branches of Star Cineplex. After a long time, cinemas were seeing profits and were hopeful about future releases. If audiences continued to flock to theatres, even average movies would draw interest. And if a good-quality movie was released, it would undoubtedly be a hit.

Mesbah Uddin Ahmed, senior manager of Media and Marketing, Star Cineplex, said, "We are currently worried about Bangladeshi cinema. After a long time, we were experiencing good times. We were receiving tremendous responses from audiences. We hoped that if another good movie was released in this period, our industry would gradually recover, and we could run our business smoothly. But in this sudden situation, we are very concerned about our business. The situation is improving a bit, but will audiences return as they did before? Just as we suffered losses, the entire cinema industry is under threat."

He also mentioned, "If the situation improves, audiences will be able to watch movies next week."

Last Thursday and Friday (July 18 and 19), cinemas were open despite the unrest. However, most theatres were almost empty. From Saturday (July 20), all cinemas were closed. In such a situation, some are waiting for normalcy before reopening their halls. Others have reopened their cinemas, understanding the situation, but their numbers are minimal. They say that without promotion, the audience is unaware that cinemas are open.

The authorities of Manihar Cinema Hall in Jashore regularly update their Facebook page with movie schedules. This hall had been closed for four days but reopened today. Movies will run from 10am to 6pm.

Ziaul Islam, managing director of Manihar Cinema Hall, told Prothom Alo, "We closed the hall from Saturday to Tuesday due to the situation. We reopened today following instructions, but there is hardly any audience. Previously, our halls had a good audience. In this situation, we want the situation to completely calm down; otherwise, the audience will not return to the halls. We also suffered significant losses during this period." The movie "Toofan" is currently running in Manihar Cinema Hall and will continue next week.

Meanwhile, Mia Alauddin, senior vice president of the Hall Exhibitors Association, said he received reports that several cinemas across the country are open. He mentioned that cinemas in places like Keraniganj's Zinzira and Narayanganj's Araihazar are open. He said, "Those who opened did so following instructions. It appears that cinemas in completely stable areas were the ones that reopened. This is our business. Profit comes if audiences attend, but audiences are very few, almost none. The situation is not conducive to watching movies. People's lives come first. What happened was serious, and entertainment comes later."

In the current situation, there is no prospect of new movie releases. The film "Haimantir Itikotha", based on Rabindranath Tagore's acclaimed short story "Haimanti", has been withdrawn from the release list for next Friday. Mirza Sakhawat Hossain, the director of the film, is uncertain about the new release date. He had earlier booked July 26. He said, "We had booked earlier this time, but now we do not want to release the movie in this situation. We will release it when the situation improves completely."

The last movie released after Eid was "Ajob Karkhana" (Song of Soul). Although it had an audience until last Wednesday, all shows were cancelled afterwards. The director, Shabnam Ferdousi, said, "We were getting audiences as expected. We had an audience on Wednesday as well. But since then, there have been no screenings of the movie. Now we are waiting for the full reopening of cinema halls. Then we might be able to release the movie again."