PVR partners with UFO Moviez for air purification system

The Rs 9 crore initiative covers 855 PVR screens across India, says CEO Gautam Dutta.

Cinema halls have reopened across India and various states have removed restrictions in seating capacity. Other states are expected to follow suit. However, there is still quite a bit of fear and stress among some people when it comes to closed spaces like theatres.

Leading Gurugram-based film entertainment company PVR Cinemas recently partnered with Mumbai-based UFO Moviez for the installation of a cinema-specific air sterilisation device called ‘UFO-Wolf AirMask’. To ensure the safety of the audiences, the product claims to offer real-time air sterilisation, providing protection against all kinds of harmful bacteria, viruses and microbes in the air and surfaces.

The product was launched at PVR Juhu, Mumbai, in the presence of actor-producer John Abraham, who’s promoting his new movie ‘Satyamev Jayate 2’.

Speaking to afaqs! about this initiative, Gautam Dutta, CEO, PVR Cinemas, says that they wanted people to step into a cinema hall believing that it is an absolutely safe place, with the air quality being better than their own home and offices.

“We wanted to turn this whole proposition right on its head, where people were questioning the air quality of the cinema (halls) at some point in time. Your home and office may still have traces of virus and bacteria, but the air at the cinema (halls) will absolutely be free of it. We want people to be absolutely stress and fear free. And that's the reason why these machines were installed.”

According to PVR, these devices are deployed at every nook and corner of the cinema halls. About five machines per auditorium have been installed, plus one in the foyer. The machine throws up trillions of negative ions. They are like those molecules that you normally get if you're standing in front of a waterfall, or in the middle of a jungle. The molecules make you feel very fresh and energetic as these are completely virus and bacteria free. These ions sit on the protein layer of a virus/bacteria in the air and make it dysfunctional and sterile.

Dutta mentions that PVR Cinemas wanted to go beyond the protocols defined by the government to make people feel safe. “One big aspect of our brand is that we keep our ears to the ground and listen to the consumer. When we got to know that the consumers are still wary and slightly stressed about coming to cinema (halls) and are questioning the air quality, we needed to do something. That’s how this technology will work towards making our consumers feel absolutely stress and virus free.”

PVR’s 855 screens across India will be deployed with these machines. According to Dutta, Rs 9 crore worth of investment has been incurred on this project.

UFO Moviez has also associated with Allabout Innovations, a technology fostering firm based out of Kochi, for distributing its product to theatres in India on an exclusive basis. As a part of Make-in-India initiative, UFO-Wolf AirMask are designed and manufactured in the country only.

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