Muscat – The closure of VOX Cinema Ruwi has led to an increase in spectators by Stars Cinema. Earlier called Al Nasr Cinema, the theatre was one of the oldest and most popular halls in the capital. VOX announced its closure in November.

Popular with movie buffs, both bachelors and families, VOX Ruwi screened films of several languages including Hindi and English. Its closure has left no options for film buffs in the area other than Stars Cinema.

Until recently, few Hindi and English films – barring blockbusters – were screened at Stars Cinema. The theatre mostly showed Malayalam, Tamil and Telegu movies. The closure of VOX Ruwi has come as a boon with Stars’ management now deciding to screens more Hindi and English movies than earlier.

An official of Stars Cinema said, “We used to show Hindi and English movies too, but now with VOX Ruwi closing down, we are seeing an increase in the number of patrons. These are mostly Hindi film buffs. Earlier, we screened only blockbusters featuring big stars, but now we have decided to screen small budget productions too, considering the popularity of such films.”

He informed that Avatar: The Way of Water which is now showing is doing very well.

Stars Cinema is the one of the oldest in the country. Located in CBD Ruwi, it has one big theatre of 850-900 capacity and three mini halls with seating for 75-80 viewers. All four halls have three screenings a day.

Shakeb Aiyaz, a Pakistani salesman, was a regular at VOX Ruwi. “The sudden closure came as a blow. My family is in Lahore and on weekends, cinema was the best and most affordable way for me to relax. But thankfully Stars Cinema, which was earlier for South Indian movies, is now also catering to Hindi-speaking audiences.”