Single screen theatres opt for digital format

After the multiplex boom, many premier single-screen theatres in the city are turning digital to survive.

A-class centres such as Liberty (Marine Lines), Central Plaza (Charni Road), Roxy (Opera House), Diamond (Borivli) and Ashish (Chembur) in Mumbai have already opted for digital prints.

"Digital cinema enables the single-screen theatres to have the same scheduling flexibility as the multiplexes. Thus they can screen different movies in a day," said Sanjay Gaikwad, ED and CEO, UFO Moviez, which provides digital cinema systems.

"Earlier, a movie used to be screened for three shows, seven days a week, but to acquire and use a print for a single show is difficult," says Errol Lobo, manager, Liberty.

The increasing number of releases and subsequent flops too have worsened the situation. During 1980-90, Hindi film releases averaged 133 each year, with flop rates being 64 per cent.

In 2001-05, when the average release was 244 films each year, the flop rates increased drastically to 90 per cent. In such scenario, multiplexes can hedge their losses with multiple screens.

Single screen cinemas also lose out to multiplexes in the vital opening week collections. "With the number of prints limited to 400 per film, getting good movies is tough," said a source.

"Losses used to be abound as opening weekend overflows were pocketed by black marketers instead of distributors or exhibitors. It is now possible to release a film simultaneously in all theatres digitally and save Rs 40,000. A print costs Rs 50-55000 on an average. With digital print, the cost for 28 shows is Rs 4,900 at Rs 175 per show," said Rupen Amlani, exhibition director,, Ashtavinayak Cine Vision.

Digital prints require no investment apart form the initial security deposit of Rs 1- 1.5 lakh. The equipment is installed by the digital player. After, receiving the go-ahead from the distributor, the digitised film is transferred via satellite to the hard-disk in the theatre, which can store upto 10-12 films at a time.

In the last five years 1,555 single-screen theatres have downed shutters all over the country and 49 in Bombay city and suburbs itself.

"Single screen cinemas are on a downside and with prints becoming costlier, most single screen cinemas will opt for digital cinema which offers near print quality viewing," concludes Lobo.