Hyderabad's changing cinema culture sees historic single screens shut for godowns and malls

Hyderabad's iconic single-screen Shanti Theatre in Narayanguda has permanently closed and now serves as a godown after shutting down following the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Opened in 1969, the theatre once hosted blockbuster runs like N.T. Rama Rao's 'Daana Veera Soora Karna' for 250 days in 1977. Its closure highlights a wider transformation in the city's movie-watching culture as single screens give way to multiplexes and streaming platforms.

The Changing Landscape

Many old cinema landmarks across Hyderabad have vanished over the years. Usha Mayuri at RTC Crossroads was replaced by a petrol pump, Galaxy Theatre at Tolichowki became a commercial estate, Krishna Talkies in the Old City turned into a mall, and Shama Talkies at Jahanuma made way for a function hall. M. Vijayender Reddy, president of the Telangana Telugu Exhibitors Association, notes that the number of single screens across the two Telugu States has dropped from a peak of around 3,600 to about 1,600, with roughly 2,000 shutting down or converting into other businesses.

Shifting Costs And Viewing Habits

Rising costs have driven many viewers away from physical theatres toward OTT platforms and cable television. Suresh, a 44-year-old kiosk owner who remembers paying ₹10 for a ticket and spending ₹50 total for an evening out in 1996, says family movie trips to multiplexes now cost at least ₹2,000. Meanwhile, newer venues like Prasads, which opened in 2003, reshaped the industry by offering multiple screens, better food, parking, and accessibility features under one roof.