<p>Most theatres in Bengaluru did not open for public on Thursday and preferred to wait for a day in anticipation of the weekend crowd on Friday.</p>.<p>After six months of closure due to the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, the Centre allowed cinema halls to open from Thursday as part of Unlock 5.0.</p>.<p>However, the theatre owners were sceptical about the business prospects after six months of lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus scare.</p>.<p>"We are starting only on Friday. So far as I know, all the cinema halls are going to open on Friday as per the decision taken by the cinema hall owners and managers at a meeting on Wednesday," Prakash, the manager of Veeresh Theatre on Magadi Road told P T I.</p>.<p>According to him, only new movies are released on Thursday whereas on Friday or weekends, old movies are shown.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-world-coronavirus-vaccine-karnataka-maharashtra-tamil-nadu-delhi-kerala-gujarat-bengal-bengaluru-mumbai-new-delhi-chennai-kolkata-cases-deaths-recoveries-AstraZeneca-Oxford-902086.html#1" target="_blank"><strong>For latest updates on Coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>"Since all are going to show old movies in the theatres, there is no point in opening theatres on Thursday," Prakash added.</p>.<p>The manager of Nartaki Theatre too echoed the same views.</p>.<p>He said his theatre will start only on October 23.</p>.<p>However, most theatres have decided to start showing movies from Friday.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the Karnataka government issued Standard Operating Procedures on Thursday for cinema halls.</p>.<p>It said theatres in containment zones will not open.</p>.<p>There should be a mandatory distance of six feet between each person and people have to wear masks all the time.</p>.<p>The theatre authorities will have to arrange hand sanitisers and thermal screening of movie-goers before letting them in.</p>.<p><strong>Also read:<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/theatres-open-after-7-months-in-covid-19-shadow-902159.html" target="_blank"> Theatres open after 7 months in Covid-19 shadow</a></strong></p>.<p>It asked people to follow the general protocol while sneezing and coughing.</p>.<p>The theatre owners have been directed to maintain sufficient time gap between the screening of two movies in the same hall.</p>.<p>Also, they have been instructed not to allow more than 50 per cent viewers of the total capacity.</p>.<p>The government has asked the theatre owners to prefer payment through netbanking for selling tickets and eatables inside the theatre.P</p>
<p>Most theatres in Bengaluru did not open for public on Thursday and preferred to wait for a day in anticipation of the weekend crowd on Friday.</p>.<p>After six months of closure due to the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, the Centre allowed cinema halls to open from Thursday as part of Unlock 5.0.</p>.<p>However, the theatre owners were sceptical about the business prospects after six months of lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus scare.</p>.<p>"We are starting only on Friday. So far as I know, all the cinema halls are going to open on Friday as per the decision taken by the cinema hall owners and managers at a meeting on Wednesday," Prakash, the manager of Veeresh Theatre on Magadi Road told P T I.</p>.<p>According to him, only new movies are released on Thursday whereas on Friday or weekends, old movies are shown.</p>.<p><a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/coronavirus-news-live-updates-india-world-coronavirus-vaccine-karnataka-maharashtra-tamil-nadu-delhi-kerala-gujarat-bengal-bengaluru-mumbai-new-delhi-chennai-kolkata-cases-deaths-recoveries-AstraZeneca-Oxford-902086.html#1" target="_blank"><strong>For latest updates on Coronavirus outbreak, click here</strong></a></p>.<p>"Since all are going to show old movies in the theatres, there is no point in opening theatres on Thursday," Prakash added.</p>.<p>The manager of Nartaki Theatre too echoed the same views.</p>.<p>He said his theatre will start only on October 23.</p>.<p>However, most theatres have decided to start showing movies from Friday.</p>.<p>Meanwhile, the Karnataka government issued Standard Operating Procedures on Thursday for cinema halls.</p>.<p>It said theatres in containment zones will not open.</p>.<p>There should be a mandatory distance of six feet between each person and people have to wear masks all the time.</p>.<p>The theatre authorities will have to arrange hand sanitisers and thermal screening of movie-goers before letting them in.</p>.<p><strong>Also read:<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/theatres-open-after-7-months-in-covid-19-shadow-902159.html" target="_blank"> Theatres open after 7 months in Covid-19 shadow</a></strong></p>.<p>It asked people to follow the general protocol while sneezing and coughing.</p>.<p>The theatre owners have been directed to maintain sufficient time gap between the screening of two movies in the same hall.</p>.<p>Also, they have been instructed not to allow more than 50 per cent viewers of the total capacity.</p>.<p>The government has asked the theatre owners to prefer payment through netbanking for selling tickets and eatables inside the theatre.P</p>