The Karachi film industry, also known by its sobriquet Kariwood (Urdu: کاری وڈ), is the Urdu language film industry of Pakistani cinema based in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Between 1929 to 2007, Lahore was the center of Pakistani cinema, producing films in both Punjabi and Urdu languages. Since 2007 however, Karachi has largely overtaken Lahore in Urdu film productions, while Lollywood is more oriented towards Punjabi cinema.
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History
In the 1960s and 1970s Karachi was the centre of the Pakistani film industry with a host of cinemas and film studios in this city. Watching movies at the cinemas was a major pastime and recreation activity. However, in the 1980s two major changes came about:
These changes resulted in the closure of many cinemas. A majority of them were converted into shopping malls or apartment blocks & after almost 20 years Karachi cinema again revived & now become country's main hub.
Revitalization
Amidst the growing concerns over the decline of the industry and viewership and the need for revitalization, a number of initiatives have been taken at the cultural landscape of Karachi. Most effective of them all is the trend of the annual international Kara Film Festival since 2001 & by 2007 Karachi is the main headquarters to Pakistan's showbiz, fashion, film & media industry.
Movie theaters
There are numerous cinemas in Karachi. Most of the cinema houses present English, Hindi, and Urdu language films. Karachi's Nueplex, Cineplex, Atrium, Cinepax, Ocean Mall & Capri are the biggest cinemas of Pakistan with Nueplex being the first ever 3D & 4D cinema of the country.