India's largest multiplex operator, PVR, has opened the world's largest outdoor drive-in cinema in Mumbai.
The operation stems from the need, in the Covid era, to bring people back to theaters despite the pandemic.
There is a "huge backlog" of films in the country with an estimated value of 50 billion rupees (668 million dollars) in production costs.
On the program is the action movie "Sooryavanshi", which kicks off a series of releases until the holiday season.
It is the first Bollywood film to be released on the big screen in 18 months.
Cinemas have closed since March 2020, when the pandemic first hit India, only to reopen briefly then close again after the massive virus surge in April.
According to accounting firm EY, India's media and entertainment earnings dropped by a quarter to $ 18.7 billion last year, and most multiplex chains suffered heavy losses.
But the industry predicts a rebound with cinemas now back in business across the country, most recently in Bollywood's capital Mumbai.
