The Bollywood strike has become a global issue, now that dozens of theaters in India, Europe, Canada, and the U.S are being forced to shut down.
The strike started about seven weeks ago when producers wanted to negotiate a 50/50 revenue share with multiplex chains. It would have been a system that mirrored that of Hollywood. However, when disputes broke out and cinema chains disagreed with the profit share, the producers pulled all movies. It was a complete halt in the film industry.
Now the affects of greed and money have dwindled down to the small business owners. Small movie theaters that showed Bollywood films are closing temporarily, until negotiations to bring the films back are made. A Vancouver theater owner told the CBC, "It trickled down to basically everybody. So we had had a period where there was, you know, on average … the small movie coming out every couple of weeks and then now it's just come to a complete standstill.”
The New York Times reported last Tuesday that the Eagle Theater located in a well known Desi neighborhood in Jackson Heights, an area of Queens, New York was the latest to close its doors due to the overseas strike. The theater specialized in first rate Bollywood films and is now a dark reminder of foreign affairs with its empty marquee and steel gate pulled down. It is a constant reminder of the epic battle that rages in Bollywood.
Mohammad Asif, a Pakistani businessman who helps to manage the 500-seat Eagle said, “We are not part of their problem, but we are affected.”
Many fear that these closing are only the beginning of a long line of theaters across the nation and globe for that matter. Only time can tell who will be slain next.
Can these theaters recover from their economic loss? Tell us what you think about the recent closings.
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