Why intervals remain inevitable for Hollywood films in Chennai theatres

CHENNAI: The re-release of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar has certainly been the talk of the town in recent weeks. However, much like applying a sudden brake on a high-speed vehicle, this breathtaking cinematic experience was interrupted by an interval at a crucial juncture, causing agitation among theatrical audiences in India. What worsens this frustration is that Hollywood films typically do not have intermissions, yet Indian theatres enforce them due to business and cultural norms.

“Audiences here are not used to watching an entire film without a break or checking their phones. They need time to relax and reset before resuming,” states Ruban Mathivanan, managing director of GK Cinemas. Echoing this sentiment, Rakesh Gowthaman, owner of Vettri Theatres, adds, “In the US, people buy their snacks beforehand and remain seated throughout the movie. In India, there is a cultural inclination to purchase snacks only during the interval.”

Unlike Indian films, where intermission points are deliberately planned by filmmakers, intervals for Hollywood films that are released here, it is theatre representatives, who don the editor’s cap on deciding a cliffhanger for the interval. Reflecting on how this was started in the era of film reels, former president of Tamil Nadu Theatre and Multiplex Owners Association, Tirupur Subramaniam explains, “Hollywood films typically have shorter runtimes. The fewer the reels, the easier it is to place an interval. For instance, if a movie had eight reels, the break would occur after the fourth.”

Following this practice, Rakesh sheds light on how this process has evolved in the digital age, where intermissions are inserted based on a film’s pacing. “For the first show, deciding the mid-point is challenging since we don’t know the film’s flow. From subsequent screenings, we identify moments with slight slowdowns, ensuring the interval doesn’t disrupt the narrative too much,” he explains. Notably, he also added that Warner Bros., a Hollywood studio, recently began distributing non-IMAX versions of their films in India with a designated interval.

When asked if audiences have ever reached out to them objecting to intermissions for Hollywood films, Ruban Mathivanan notes that they haven’t received feedback on that, as post-COVID, Hollywood films have been failing to gather much attention. Meanwhile, Vettri Theatre had some re-releases of Hollywood films, such as The Dark Knight, without an interval. Rakesh shares, “That was a request from the fans, but we announced it well in advance on our social media. After the screening, while some welcomed the move, others had different opinions.”

All three of them agreed that releasing Hollywood films without intervals would be impossible here. “Audiences always prefer having one. Back in time, Hindi films like Sangam (1964) and Mera Jawab (1985) had two intervals. There has never been a demand for the opposite,” Tirupur Subramaniam claims. Aligning to the similar, Ruban shares, “From a theatre’s perspective, a significant portion of revenue comes from food and beverage sales, which sustain the business. Therefore, it is crucial for us.” As a potential solution, Rakesh suggests experimenting with a single weekly show without an intermission. “Earlier, we had a ‘Do Not Disturb’ (DND) concept, where there was no interval, and mobile phone use was restricted. This could be reintroduced for a limited audience but beyond that, it’s not feasible,” he states.