Unlock 5 has given theatres permission to operate. With movie theatres permitted to resume from October 15 across the country, theater owners in Karnataka are in the middle of a standoff with Sandalwood producers over releasing big-budget films. Film producers in Karnataka say that they will not release big-budget films if the theaters have to operate at 50% capacity and this has put theater owners in a traumatic situation. Speaking to a leading daily, KV Chandrashekar, President of the Karnataka Cinema Theater Owners' Association stated that so far 70 films have been censored and are ready for release but movie producers are not willing to release big-budget films, which drive crowds to theaters.
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The Union Government on Thursday announced that movie theaters and multiplexes can reopen from October 15. For the last seven months, the theaters have been shut due to the ensuing pandemic and theater owners and Sandalwood film producers in Karnataka are facing a standoff regarding reopening theaters. The Union government had said that theaters can reopen at 50% capacity. However, the Karnataka government has not issued standard operating systems that theaters owners should follow.
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During the last seven months, theater owners have had to pay monthly electricity bills and also property taxes to retain their licenses. However, many have not paid these bills due to a lack of revenue. The theater owners and the film chamber had gone to the state government multiple times over the last few months and requested that payment of these bills and taxes be waived for the period in which the establishments were shuttered.
