Mumbai cinemas reopen at last after being shut for 18 months during pandemic

The move to reopen Mumbai’s cinemas comes after India celebrated the administering of India’s one billionth Covid jab (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade)

Cinemas in India’s entertainment capital Mumbai reopened on Friday after more than 18 months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, the last of the many virus restrictions to go amid a decline in infections.

Movie theatres opened to half capacity, following the guidelines released last month, but struggled to lure the public back and mostly re-released earlier hits. Many shows were running with fewer audiences, ticketing portal BookMyShow showed.