Drive-in cinema to open in ICT next week

Visitors sitting in their cars will make it safe from Covid-19

ISLAMABAD:

With cinemas remaining closed for the better part of the year due to precautions taken to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, despite a brief respite in the period between the two waves, drive-in cinemas which are a safe alternative for the public during the pandemic are set to open next week.

This was disclosed during a joint news conference in the federal capital on Tuesday.

Set up by cellular network giant Jazz in collaboration with the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Active Marketing Agency, the outdoor cinema will be set up in the Parade ground along Islamabad Highway and will open for the public on December 18.

Should the pilot prove successful, it will be replicated in other cities such as Karachi and Lahore under a drive to set up four drive-in cinemas

At these cinemas, all payments will be digitally enabled through the phone company’s e-wallet service.

The cinemas are planned to operate for three days a week from Friday to Sunday with shows to be screened at 5:30 pm.

Jazz Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Asif Aziz said that under the current circumstances, drive-in cinemas have become the only safe source of entertainment.

A CDA spokesperson said that the open-air cinema can provide entertainment to movie lovers and many families, who have been stuck at home for months due to the pandemic.

The spokesperson said that the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) devised to stem coronavirus spread would be fully implemented.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2020.