On Tuesday, Akshay Kumar announced that his spy thriller, `Bell Bottom`, will have a big-screen release on July 27. The announcement came amid trade buzz that theatres across the country may soon throw their doors open. While the Punjab government has allowed cinemas to operate at 50 per cent capacity from June 15, it is heard that other states may follow suit by July 1. 

Amit Sharma, MD, Miraj Entertainment, breaks it down, stating, “In Maharashtra, districts on Level 2 can have theatres functioning at 50 per cent occupancy. So, we’ve procured permission to reopen cinemas in Chandrapur and Vasai. Unless we go to Level 1, we can’t get 100 per cent occupancy.” Kunal Sawhney, senior vice president, operations, Carnival Cinemas, says that exhibitors and filmmakers are hoping that movie halls will be up and running latest by July 15. “We heard that Telangana might reopen theatres soon. On our part, we have begun the sanitisation process and getting our cinemas [in order].”