Bangladesh’s cinema exhibition sector continues to shrink as two more historic theatres have closed their doors, highlighting the ongoing decline of the country’s big-screen industry.
The latest additions to the growing list of shuttered halls are Madhumati Cinema Hall in Bhairab, Kishoreganj, and Shapla Talkies in Rangpur. While one has already begun demolition, the other has ceased operations amid a dispute over the property’s future.
Bhairab was once home to four cinema halls—Chobighor, Palash, Madhumati and Darshan.
Chobighor was converted into a shopping centre years ago, while Palash was demolished to make way for a residential building and a kindergarten.
Until recently, only Madhumati and Darshan remained in operation, attracting large crowds during Eid holidays from Bhairab and neighbouring upazilas.
However, Madhumati officially closed last Thursday, with demolition work beginning immediately afterwards.
The final film screened at the venue was director Saif Chandan’s Malik.
According to the hall authorities, mounting financial losses and increasing debt made it impossible to continue operations.
They said the situation had become particularly difficult over the past two Eid seasons, leading to the decision to permanently close and demolish the theatre.
Rangpur’s Shapla Talkies, one of northern Bangladesh’s best-known cinema halls, began its journey in 1978.
Since 2006, it had been operated on lease by Kamal Hossain, who claimed the closure was not voluntary.
He said the lease agreement remained valid until 2032, but the current owners no longer wished to operate a cinema on the property.
“The owners have decided to construct a commercial building instead of continuing the cinema hall. They have every right to develop their property, but closing the hall while our agreement was still in force has caused us significant financial losses,” Kamal told the media.
The hall’s original owner, a Bangladesh Army officer, died without children in 2007.
Responsibility later passed to other family members, who recently decided to discontinue cinema operations.
The closures come as 19 organisations from Bangladesh’s film industry have jointly launched a new platform aimed at protecting the country’s struggling cinema exhibition sector.
The organisation was formally introduced on Saturday at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC).
Actor Helal Khan has been appointed convener, while Shiba Shanu, president of the Bangladesh Film Artistes’ Association, will serve as member secretary.
Producer Khorshed Alam, one of the advisers to the platform, said preserving cinema halls would be the organisation’s top priority.
“We used to say that if producers survive, cinema survives. Now we believe that if cinema halls survive, producers and the entire film industry will survive,” he said.
He added that the organisation would work to accelerate implementation of the government’s Tk10 billion loan incentive programme for cinema hall modernisation, while also focusing on initiatives such as centralised servers and e-ticketing.
Film director Anonno Mamun also reacted to the closure of Shapla Talkies, expressing disappointment over what he described as the industry’s failure to protect cinema halls.
In a Facebook post, he wrote that the closure of Rangpur’s last major cinema hall reflected the industry’s inability to ensure a steady supply of films and safeguard exhibition venues.
Mamun also criticised film organisations for prioritising publicity over meaningful action, arguing that industry leaders had failed to engage effectively with the government to address the sector’s long-standing challenges.
The closure of Madhumati and Shapla adds to a growing list of cinema halls that have disappeared across Bangladesh in recent years, raising fresh concerns about the future of theatrical film exhibition despite continued investment in local film production.
