This photograph taken on August 26, 2026 shows movie-goers watching the early morning show of the newly released Kannada film "Toxic" at the single-screen Mukunda Theatre in Bengaluru. India's single-screen cinemas have been steadily squeezed by multiplexes, streaming, rising property costs and the expense of maintaining ageing buildings and equipment. Researchers estimate that India had around 14,000 single-screen halls in the 1980s. Only around 2,000 remain today. (Photo by Idrees MOHAMMED / AFP via Getty Images)