ISLAMABAD – With the closure of indoor movie theaters around the countrydue to covid-19 pandemic, the sunset industry has made an obvious entry inthe Federal Capital as two blockbuster Hollywood movies were screened atthe first-ever drive-in cinema, set up in the Fatima Jinnah Park on Fridayevening.
Screening of two movies including ‘War for the Planet of Apes’ and‘Spider-Man Far From Home’ made the moviegoers euphoric, who were forced towatch the movies on small screens, owing to the social-gatheringrestrictions of contagion.
“I was eagerly waiting for the launching of first-ever drive in cinema ofIslamabad, and finally it has come to the end as right now I am watchingthe movie on a big screen while sitting in the car,” Sayed Hasnain, ajubilant moviegoer, told APP at the park located at sector F-9 of Islamabad.
He said prior to the coronavirus related restrictions, he had never missedany weekend without watching movie at the indoor cinemas, but after thepandemic, there was no such facility available in any city.
He regretted that the situation forced him to watch movie on small screenwhile staying at home, but now “I felt relieved with the launch drive-incinema in Islamabad.”
There was big difference between watching a movie on big screen and smallone, Husnain said when told him about growing tendency of using Netflixamong the youth for the purpose.
Hareer Irfan, another moviegoer, said such facilities would not onlyprovide risk-free recreation opportunity, but also give push to the sun-setindustry in the country
Safest recreational opportunities become indispensable in times of thecoronavirus as it had badly affected people’s mental health, the head ofpsychiatry at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Dr. RizwanTaj said.
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He said the importance of such initiatives in the post-pandemic scenariohad doubled as it had disrupted social life of people and hadmulti-dimensional affects on the society including economic, business,domestic, educations and other.
He mentioned various kinds of the coronavirus mental disorders such ascorona induce phobias, corona induce depression, corona induce anxiety,corona induce obsessional disorder and corona induce adjustment disorder.
CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed, who was a major driving force behind theinitiative, told APP that the drive-in cinema would provide recreationalopportunity to residents of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad underthe safest environment.
He said while sitting in their cars people could watch movies on big screenby using radio set for audio. “If this project attracts people, we will setup two or three more such facilities in Islamabad,” he maintained.
The drive-in cinema with a capacity for 200 cars carrying a maximum ofthree people – is a joint venture of the Capital Development Authority(CDA), telecom operator Jazz, and a private entity Active media.
According to the organizers, the drive-in cinema will be offering two showsdaily, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in the evening against Rs1,000 foreach car.
