With no new releases in the last 15 days, more than 500 theaters in Karnataka have closed down in the past few days and more will be closing in the coming days.

Due to a steep rise in the Covid 19 cases, the Karnataka Government has not only imposed night and weekend curfews, but also has restricted the screening in theaters for 50 percent occupancy of audience with effect from the 06^th to 19^th of January. Though the stipulated time is about to end, there is no decrease in the Covid cases and the Government is planning to extend the night and weekend curfew for one more month.

With screening limited to 50 percent occupancy in theaters, many makers have decided to postpone their new releases. In the last 15 days except for a children film called ‘Namma Bharatha’, none of the other films have been released. Big films have been postponed indefinitely and the release dates of the films have not been announced yet.

Karnataka Film Exhibitors Association president K V Chandrashekhar in an interview to a leading daily has said that, ‘with no new releases, as many as 500 plus theaters have been closed across Karnataka. Except for a few cities, where new Telugu and Tamil films are being screened, theaters in rural places have already been closed’ says Chandrashekhar.

Experts say that there will be a steep rise in the Covid 19 cases in the month of February, which means the condition will not improve in the next one month. So, theaters are likely to be closed until things come back to normalcy.