Carnival Cinemas gears up to welcome back moviegoers in new ad

The cinema-chain has initiated a range of safety measures for its customers' safety while they enjoy the movie on the big screen.

Cinema halls were one of the worst-hit businesses from the pandemic induced lockdown. And now, when the lockdown has lifted in most parts of India, the cinema halls still remain shut. However, this hasn't discouraged them from coming out with reassurances that once they do open, moviegoers can sit back assured about safety precautions.

And in this spirit, Carnival Cinemas has released an ad to illustrate all the best safety practices it has in place for moviegoers. In a email note, it mentioned the following precautions:

· Use of body temperature detectors for customers

· Measures to ensure social distancing at every point during a visit to the cinema, especially while seating, with people from different households sitting apart, and with a limited capacity in each screen

· Encourage customers to use face masks

· Enhancing cleaning and hygiene, including the provision of antibacterial gels stations (sanitizers) for cinema-goers throughout each site

· ULV Foggers. Employees will sanitize every auditorium and seat after each movie. This form of deep sanitization is highly effective in disinfecting all materials with a non-toxic formula that is fast drying

· Health emergency programs

· Moviegoers will be persuaded to keep the contact with the staff as minimal as possible with e-tickets and e-orders for food and drinks being in place and contactless paperless payments

· Revised scheduling of films to allow time for deep cleaning of auditoriums between screenings and to avoid crowding in corridors

· Food shall be served with the utmost care and hygiene

· Touch-free facilities at the washrooms

· Smooth exits to avoid the crowd

· WHO certified COVID19 staff training to manage various difficult situations

· Carnival employees will undergo daily health screenings including temperature checks where mandated

· Employees will be required to wash hands at minimum every 30 to 60 minutes, dependent on job role

· All employees will be required to wear masks

There's an interesting part of the ad at the start where the voice-over says, "Maybe now times are tough and life is catching a breath but you will always find life at the end of a tunnel and we are ready to see you right there."

And while it's spoken, we see two instances where people watching a movie on their smartphones (probably on streaming platforms) are annoyed: the first scene has a guy removing his earphones in discomfort, the second scene has a call interrupt a lady's movie-watching experience. Carnival Cinema's way of stating the movies are best seen at a cinema hall?

A few days ago, PVR too released an ad on similar lines where it illustrated the safety measures it has placed for its customers.

Also Read: Films releasing on OTT: Distress selling or the birth of a new business model?

Also, cinema halls who are already reeling under the pressures of the pandemic-induced lockdown are losing more ground to OTT platforms that are now releasing new movies.

A few examples are 'Gulabo Sitabo', starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, and directed by Shoojit Sircar; 'Shakuntala Devi', starring Vidya Balan and Jisshu Sengupta (Amazon Prime) and Dil Bechara starring Sushant Singh Rajput and Sanjana Sanghi, and directed by Mukesh Chhabra (Disney+ Hotstar).

Carnival Cinemas has said that it will follow all government safety guidelines and best practices to ensure its patrons' safety and comfort. The plan also includes safety measures based on feedback received from employees and moviegoers it has deemed most important for their return. Come let's celebrate safety! We can't wait to welcome you more.

While these initiatives are much-needed, we are eager to see how will the cinema chain price the tickets once it reopens.