March 17th, 2021
Harkness Screens Round Table – The Recovery of Cinema with Preetham Daniel
In the latest Round Table interview, Harkness Screens’ Preetham Daniel, SVP Asia, joined journalist Joe Harvey to talk about the movie landscape as restrictions begin to be eased worldwide, cinema in India and Japan, as well as trade shows.
Since the Autumn, cinemas have been reopened in Preetham’s native India, the auditoriums gradually going from a partial capacity to being completely full once more in some regions.
In the interview, Preetham discusses in depth how cinema in India and Japan has experienced a resurgence thanks to locally produced cinema content.
It is this content that has given Preetham and Harkness Screens confidence that cinema will be able to recover globally, following a year with multiplexes and smaller local cinemas closed.
“We have been working with a few partners, for example IMAX is an account I am managing globally, and as we speak with these guys in different territories and try to understand what the market may look like,” Preetham said.
“I think it is good news that cinemas are allowed to open in places like New York from the sixth of March, with good content lined up. Cinemas in the US is coming back, which means Hollywood content will fall in place and line up.
“That definitely will have an effect on the Asian market and the global box office markets as well. The middle east is really doing well. There are some partners of ours who are progressing with all their plans of expansion, so that’s been positive.
“I can’t say too much about Europe, but as much as I have seen all over the United States and talking to our partners in the US, I feel it is definitely a positive market and in the next two or three months we should see those markets open up and getting back to some sort of pre-Covid normalcy or whatever that is.
“I think it is the next two or three months in that sense.”
On Monday 15th March, it was reported that India has recorded the worst single-day spike in COVID-19 cases, meaning that there could be some revisions to the country’s lockdown restrictions, there is still great hope for the industry in India.
In this conversation, Preetham Daniel explains in detail how Hollywood releases in both Asia and in the wider world may also be beneficial to the recovery of cinema.
To watch the full episode of the Harkness Screens Round Table with Preetham Daniel, SVP Asia, click here.
Harkness Screens
Harkness Screens™ is the world’s leading screen technology company, specialising in the design and manufacture of projection screens and supporting technologies for cinema and live events. From single-screen independent theatres to large multiplexes to large format immersive theatre experiences or live events, Harkness supplies thousands of screens every year helping provide outstanding presentation experiences to audiences around the world.
With global reach, Harkness is regarded as the world leader in cinema and has screens in more cinemas worldwide than any other manufacturer. With its industry leading 2D and 3D screen brands (Perlux HiWhite, Clarus XC and Spectral) along with an innovative range of presentation monitoring tools, digital surveying services and suite of cinema design and specification apps, Harkness continues to lead the way in screen technology for cinema.
Founded in 1929, Harkness has manufacturing facilities in the USA, UK, France, India and China and combines unrivalled experience with the latest technology and production methods to provide innovative solutions to the company’s key markets. For more information, visit the Harkness Screens web page at www.harkness-screens.com.
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