Boosting Theatre Attendance: Cinema Lovers Day And Beyond

It is true that most of the cinema that we watch and have been watching is fictional content. But it is also an undeniable fact that cinema, theatre and other art forms have also been a mirror of the people, the issues that they face and their sentiments too, in some form or the other. The hopeless romantic in me loves romcoms (romantic comedies) with happy endings, due to the very fact that I’m a very romantic person myself and know that happy endings are not simply fictional – it isn’t only about such fairytale stories in reel life, but understanding that peace, happiness, love and happy endings exist in reality too because they truly do. 

Delving into celebrating cinema and its experiences, cinema aficionados have a reason to celebrate on 31 May – on the occasion of Cinema Lovers Day which is held each year as the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) and cinemas all over India unite to promise an unforgettable movie marathon – this year it is an unmissable offer for all movie enthusiasts for just Rs 99 per admission.

Industry experts shed light on the merriment of cinema through Cinema Lovers Day, the need and impact of such efforts, and going beyond offers/schemes to enhance the cinema experience.

Need and Impact of Cinema Lovers Day et al

The MAI (Multiplex Association of India) which was established in 2002 under the aegis of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) by leading cinema operators gets together a nationwide group of cinema operators to work with regulatory bodies and industry partners nationwide to raise the profile of cinema, highlight opportunities, and address various challenges faced by the cinema exhibition sector. The MAI represents more than 11 cinema chains, operating more than 500 multiplexes across the country, with around 2500+ screens, and therefore, represents around 75 per cent of the multiplex industry of India.

In its second year and carrying forward the success of the previous event, Cinema Lovers Day by the MAI will unfold across more than 4000 participating screens, including renowned cinemas like PVR Inox, Cinepolis, Miraj Cinemas, Citypride, Asian, Mukta A2, Movie Time, Moviemax, Wave Cinemas, M2K, Delite, and many others.

Kamal Gianchandani, President, Multiplex Association of India; CEO, PVR Inox Pictures & Chief Business Planning & Strategy, PVR Inox, points out, “We want to make the theatre movie-going experience as inclusive as possible. And we've got feedback from customers. Large families, even in big cities, at times, find the whole experience expensive and therefore they have to curtail their visits or they have to be picky about the visits. Also, the availability of time slots for the cinema-watching experience needed to be relooked at, providing more time slots across weekends and weekdays too. With initiatives such as Cinema Lovers Day, we can make movie-going at theatres accessible to large families. So that's one big motive.”

He also stretches the argument to the youth of India. With a FOMO tendency and the want to participate in celebrations, such initiatives are considered to also make a lot of youth audience part of the excitement, and allow them to come in big numbers, big groups, get a whole lot of friends, the whole class etc. along.

Speaking from the business point of view for PVR Inox as well as the industry, Gianchandani reiterates, “We want people from all segments, for all sorts of films and cinema. And these initiatives keep broadening the customer base for PVR, as well as for the industry. And therefore these tactical initiatives are important for the business - from the business perspective of PVR, and from the industry perspective, as well.”

Devang Sampat, Managing Director, Cinepolis India also reiterates that the Cinema Lovers Day offer is introduced to boost the excitement and enthusiasm for the movie-going experience. “Its goal is to remind audiences of the unique and irreplaceable atmosphere that cinemas provide. By offering tickets at an exceptionally affordable rate of Rs 99, we aim to celebrate the joy of cinema and community. This initiative not only increases footfalls but also rekindles the communal joy of watching films on the big screen, fostering a renewed appreciation for cinema. Given the current extreme weather conditions, children’s summer vacations and limited outdoor options, cinemas offer a perfect place to relax and enjoy.”

The way Amit Sharma, Managing Director – Entertainment, Miraj Group looks at Cinema Lovers Day is to basically attract and tell people to come to multiplexes all across the country to watch films - because watching movies and coming to the cinema is also a kind of habit. 

“Unfortunately, when you look at the last couple of months, post Eid, we did not have any kind of meaningful releases – neither from Hindi, English nor from any regional languages. So the habit of coming to the cinema basically takes a backseat. Having celebrations such as Cinema Lovers Day kind of activities across the country are a good way to welcome people and call people to the cinema so that they keep coming back repetitively,” he understands.

Rebound or not?

Whether it is the aftermath of the pandemic or for various other reasons, cinemas are still struggling to rebound and to be honest, only a few are exempt from this. 

Gianchandani underscores, “Out of all the businesses, some businesses have rebounded, some have not. I think, clearly, we are still operating at numbers which are below pre-Covid levels. There is no ambiguity on that.

But that said, there are a lot of victories that we can speak about. There's been a lot of receptiveness from the audiences. 15 crore people came to PVR Inox alone to watch movies in the financial year 2023-24 - that's a massive number. The ticket prices, too, have gone up by 30 per cent compared to pre-Covid, and the audiences have accepted it. They have been open and have become comfortable with these new ticket prices. That's a big victory for the business.”

Sampat cites, “According to the latest Ormax report, India now boasts 157.4 million (15.7 crore) theatre-goers—people who watched at least one film in a theatre in 2023. This figure represents a 29 per cent increase from the previous year (12.2 crore) and an 8 per cent rise above pre-pandemic levels (14.6 crore). This resurgence is underscored by the exceptional box office performances of films like ‘Pathan’, ‘Jawan’, ‘Animal’, and ‘Gadar 2’, as well as a strong showing from regional cinema.

These findings indicate that cinemas have rebounded post-pandemic. The unique experience of watching a movie in a theatre, combined with the hospitality and diverse food and beverage options, offers an incomparable alternative to home viewing. Despite the growth of OTT platforms in recent years, audiences continue to be drawn to cinemas for the distinctive and immersive experience they provide.”

Two years was a long time for consumers being holed up in their houses, being forced to look for entertainment on their television screens or mobile screens. It has influenced the habits of a segment of people – the people who are coming to theatres. Some of them have either come less or have not come back as yet because of that long gap of two years. But the encouraging part is that with every big film or with every hit, the cinema industry witnesses some part of those people coming back. 

In 2022, with a slew of blockbusters in Hindi, and before that, with big hits such as KGF, RRR, Kantara, and Pushpa - the people who were visiting cinemas pre Covid, have started returning. “Once you watch a good film, you have a great time with your family or friends, it whets your appetite. Your muscle memory goes back to pre-Covid. Suddenly you remember the virtues of going to cinemas, having that social experience, this whole collective social joy of being in a theatre, being passive, and surrendering yourself to the big screen. People go back to that experience, and once they do, then they keep coming back,” Gianchandani articulated.

It’s been a long journey for the industry, and the fact is that it has been slightly disrupted. Even at the back end, a lot of producers went direct to streaming, and a lot of producers shifted to making series. All of that has now changed with streaming prices becoming rational, streamers realising that you need a theatrical release for a film to do well even on a streaming platform and producers are releasing all the films in theatres. Whether it's a small film, mid-sized film, big film, everything is coming to theatres. So the industry is getting its groove back.

Cinema Lovers Day and beyond

Knowing that India is a cinema and films crazy nation, theatres and multiplexes are upping their efforts and contributions as brands, to make Cinema Lovers Day not just simply about offers/schemes for a day, but experiences and memories of a lifetime.

Cinema chains like PVR Inox, Cinepolis, Miraj, Mukta A2, etc. are investing a lot of effort, time, money in sprucing up theatres, improving the audio-visual quality, creating and introducing new formats so that people have more choice. “In addition to that, they're also spending a lot of money in training people, making them much more knowledgeable, much more courteous, aware about the hygiene factor within cinemas. And of course, with F&B being an integral part, there's a lot of work going on in the direction of improving the quality and standards of it, which are served within the cinemas.

As MAI, we are an advocacy body, but the job of the partners is to keep improving their facilities so that people have a compelling reason to keep coming back,” comprehends Gianchandani.

Sharma underlines that with the objective of Cinema Lovers Day being to bring the audience back to the cinema, the next step is to market the upcoming calendar of the forthcoming months. 

“Cinema Lovers Day is one of those kinds of activities which you do once in a quarter to slash the price, to call the people. At the end of the day, cinemas will only flourish with the movies coming everywhere every week. There have been times when certain films have done fantastic business. And then there are certain dull patches. So the problem lies in the inconsistent supply of films across languages.

For instance, there are various movies slated to hit the cinemas post 14 June – so we have a packed schedule, whether it is regional, Bollywood, or other kinds of cinema and this should get a lot of crowds coming back to cinemas again. I think right now the idea is to bring the people back to cinemas, showcase the cinema experience to them once again, and enlighten them on the release calendars. That's what the bigger idea is,” he shares.

As an entity and a representative body, MAI is engaging with international chains, companies in Europe and many other cinema operators elsewhere across other countries so that the Indian industry players can learn from them. “We are becoming a platform that helps Indian cinema chains engage with international chains so that we can learn from their innovation and pick up some new ideas and new ways in which they are coping with the challenges post-COVID. It is predominantly about knowledge sharing. They give us inputs on what they are doing. They speak about the innovations and share details, even micro details, of what those innovations are and the thought process behind them. They even organise visits and witness those innovations first-hand,” states Gianchandani.

Neha Kalra

BW Reporters She is the Senior Editorial Lead at Businessworld and majorly covers pieces on advertising, marketing, branding and experiential marketing. She writes closely for BW Marketing World and Everything Experiential.