Connaught Places’ Regal cinema has finally succumbed to the pressure of the digital screen and the competition from multiplexes. It will screen it’s last show on 31 March with the Anushka Sharma starrer Phillauri, Times of India reported.
The iconic theatre was built in 1932, and is one of the few single-screen theatres remaining in the country.
The collapse of two buildings in CP was the final nail in the coffin. The last two shows of Aa Gaya Hero and Badrinath ki Dulhania yielded meagre sums of Rs 8,999 and Rs 12,185 respectively.
Times of India quoted Vijay Singh who is the gatekeeper-cum-ticket-checker as saying:
The seats are broken, the sound system is outdated and murals on the walls are falling apart. In the absence of regular maintenance, things have grown worse. That’s why people have stopped coming.
Once frequented by great actors such as Raj Kapoor, the sign now reads RE AL THEAT E. Madame Tussaud’s wax museum which is opening a branch in New Delhi will reportedly occupy its space.
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