Cinemas in Pakistan used to be one of the main public attractions in years gone by. Especially in the 60s and 70s,the Pakistani population used to flock to these cinemas in large numbers to view their favorite Urdu movies or the latest English movies from Hollywood. One of the main cinemas in Karachi was Prince cinema.
Located on the busy M.A Jinnah road, Prince cinema was one of the famous four cinemas located in the same area which became the hub for movie watchers. However the cinema fell behind as times progressed and the Pakistani film industry declined. Even though Prince cinema was no loner state of the art, it still managed to attract frequent visitors thanks to its affordable ticket prices.
To watch a movie in Prince cinema a person could pay as little as Rs 70 for the Circle, Rs 100 for the dress circle and Rs 200 for the balcony. However tragedy struck in September 2012 when a mob of angry protestors marched on the cinema and set fire to it, causing huge damage to the building and leading to it shutting down. Hence the Karchi public was deprived of a convenient source of entertainment and are now hoping for the owners to renovate or rebuild it so a part of Karachi’s history can be returned.