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High time for lower film ticket prices? Film distributors & cinema owners weigh in
With Cinema Day's successful run, we talk to film distributors and cinema owners if lowering ticket prices for films is the way to go.
Cinemas in India witnessed a huge spike of footfall on Cinema Day, as more people stepped in the theatres to watch films, adhering to the Rs. 99 price. The Multiplex Association of India (MAI) said that more than six million cinemagoers went to the theatres on the second edition of National Cinema Day. Major films, including Fukrey 3, Mission Raniganj, Thank You For Coming, and Jawan benefitted from cinema day. Fukrey 3 and Jawan collected around ₹5.25 - 5.5 crores a piece while Mission Raniganj netted around ₹4.75 - 5 crores.
Actor Richa Chadha had also shared on her Instagram handle, “This goes to show that the audience needs affordable tickets. If they’re priced at ₹99, they WILL watch. There won’t be any issue of footfalls. Yesterday for the 3rd week, Fukrey 3 was housefull for the evening show. Ditto Jawan.”
“A record number of 6 million (estimated) moviegoers visited their local cinema to celebrate the National Cinema Day. In every corner, audiences of all ages came together to record an unprecedented demand for movie tickets, and the country’s cinema operators reported house-full shows throughout the day, making 13 October the second highest-attended day of the year 2023,” MAI’s press note read. We talk to film distributors Joginder Mahajan and Akshay Rathi, and cinema owners Devang Sampath and Rajan Gupta, if it is high time that cinemas lower the prices of film tickets to improve the frequency of moviegoers.
Mr. Joginder Mahajan, Film Distributors and owner of Gagan Theatre, Nand Nagari, Delhi, agrees with the sentiment of lowering film ticket prices as he says, “ There was a great footfall on cinema day. As per the data, more than 60 lakhs people watch films in multiplexes in India in one day. Last year, the number was 65 lakhs, when the price for films was Rs. 75. Middle class bilkul toott chuka hai cinema jaane ke liye. If the rates are made affordable, then the people who watch it through illegal sources (piracy), then they would watch it legally. The distributors who make big films always want that the ticket rates should be higher, because they want a 500 crore collection, toh vo apni keemat usi se vasool karte hain. However, for public interest, the rates should be limited, it should be maximum 100, while recliners can be a little higher than this. The main clientele of cinema is students and youngsters. They have a limited source of income, hence expensive prices are not appropriate for them. It is a matter to think about and action should be taken not just for the ticket, but also the food and beverage prices. It is a big factor for people to go less to the theatres.”
On the other hand, Devang Sampath, CEO of Cinepolis, feels that price is not the only factor that matters, and content is king. He says, “People are already coming back to theatres. But, content is the key and it is not just about the pricing strategy. Every theatre follows different pricing schedules, both on weekdays and weekends. Just one campaign of cinema day does not mean that we should standardise that price. It is promoted and positioned in its prices, which helps in getting more people. But similarly, many theatres also have special wow Wednesdays or special one day offers, that does not mean that pricing is the only solution for the footfall. It takes multiple promotions, and pricing is just one of them. There are different sets of audiences, for which there are different conveniences for theatres. Price is always measured through demand and supply. When there is a bigger movie, there is always a premium of Rs. 350 on the weekends, on weekdays it goes down till Rs.150. But, the average price of a movie in India is Rs. 220, which is affordable. It is still the cheapest in the world, given the facilities, so we have to give the right balance.”
Adding to it, Film Distributor and Trade Analyst Akshay Rathi tells us, “Definitely, there were more people on cinema day, as compared to other days. The exhibition sector of India is so fragmented that there are different types of cinema halls for different demographics of India. PVR, INOX and Cinepolis have investor pressure to showcase growth. It is almost mandatory for them to have bandwidth of certain prices, to be able to break even on their operation expenses. That’s the reason they can’t really afford to have lower ticket prices. Having said that, offers like the one on cinema day are important to rebuild the habit of movie going and having the cinema experience for an audience that has been coming less to the cinemas after the pandemic,” adding, “Moreover, single screen cinemas still have extremely low rates. However, ultimately there are bigger giants who want to play with the niche market. There are sizes and audiences for both. Price does become a hindrance for some people in coming back over and over for multiple films. Pathaan, Jawan, and Gadar 2 became the highest grossers with high ticket prices as well. But for a Zara Hatke Zara Bachke where you had to roll in a buy one get one offer. Those movies seem feasible for a theatrical experience with a lower ticket price. It completely depends on what the content is, rather than a jump or slash on the ticket price.”
Rajan Gupta, the owner of Liberty Cinema, says, “The footfalls were better on cinema day because of the ₹99 ticket price. When you have a discounted price for one day, then people who would otherwise have not gone, would go on that day. But, if you decrease the price overall, you would not get more people seeing films than they used to. As far as the industry is concerned, the expenditure that has to be managed requires this amount of ticket pricing.”
