Harish Mallya, an enthusiastic film lover from Bengaluru, admitted that his theatre visit had come down during the 199 pandemic. Harish is an engineer and curator of the World Cinema at the Biffes International Film Festival.
In the current situation, he highlighted a development that reflected a decline in demand for drama viewing. “Earlier, I would have booked seats in advance, thanks to the opening weekend’s opening tickets to the Marquee movie. But over the past few years, I’ve been able to get a box office at multiple tickets, even for highly anticipated films across languages.”
It is undeniable that the theater is facing its biggest test today. Factors such as the emergence of streaming platforms and high-priced tickets have changed the viewing habits of average movie viewers. In 2024, PVR Inox Ltd. shut down 85 underperforming screens. The next year, the multiplexed chain decided to close 70 properties. Similarly, individual screens continue to suffer, with the total number of Karnataka dropping to 500 active screens, which began the pandemic in 650 B.C.
Bollywood star Aamir Khan delved into the issue in the recent World Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) in Mumbai. Aamir is one of the grandest box office minds, his previous films suffered a failure Laal Singh Chaddha (2022). As he waits for the next one, Sitaare Zameen parthe actor was shocked by the prospects of the drama release in the coming days.
For the size of the country and the number of people living here, we think we have 10,000 screens. Only 2% of the country’s population watch movies in theaters. In the United States, India has one third of its 40,000 population, and China has 40,000 screens. There are 90,000 screens in India. There are more areas in India. For me, this is something we should invest in. ” Aamir said at the event.
File photos of movies showing in single screen cinemas in Bangalore. |Picture source:
Karnataka government proposes cap
Watching movies, especially in multiplexing, is an expensive experience. Bangalore is still notoriously expensive tickets. In this case, the proposal by the state government to limit the ticket price of movies to Rs 200 is hope for movie lovers. On March 7, 2025, the announcement reminded people of similar calls from Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during his term in 2017. The Multiple Peoples of India (MAI) appealed the government’s ruling in court and suspended the order at that time.
Writer and film critic S. Shyam Prasad said the government appears to have kept the problem in “pause animation.” “The Chief Minister has been aligned with public sentiment, but I don’t think market forces will allow him to implement price caps. He just issued a populist statement.”
By the way, Siddaramaiah spent Rs 1,050 to watch after only two months of the proposed price cap in 2017 Baahubali 2: in conclusion In a multiplexed place.
The executives of a popular multiple chain show anonymous conditions that tickets for large movies ranged from Rs 700 to Rs 700 on the opening weekend. Premium screens that can cost up to Rs 1,500, such as gold categories or badges. Bangalore’s diverse cars capture big star movies (e.g. KGF: Chapter 2 (Maximum rate is ₹2,500), RRR (Rs 2,000) and Ponniyin Selvan (€1,200).
The number of single-screen theaters in Karnataka has dropped to 500 after the pandemic. |Picture source:
Dynamic fare
The manufacturer of this large wine glass guarantees special pricing for tickets, such as PUSHPA 2: Rules.December 2024, actorAllu Arjun thanked Andhra Pradesh government for approving the fare price increase and called it a “progress decision”. Andhra Pradesh government allows drama owners to modify ticket rates for the first 10 days of other movies, such as SS Rajamouli RRR (2022) and Ram Charan-s. Shanka Movies Change the rules of the game (2025).
“Producers want to get the money back in about four days. The opening numbers are important to them. They want to make Rs 1,000 crore on the first day, to Rs 1,500 crore. PUSHPA 2: Rules.
Although the fixed fares in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are no more than Rs 200, the Andhra Pradesh government has catered to the demands of big budget filmmakers to change the fares for the first week. This move may be problematic, as not all major movies will cause positive reactions. Interest in the movie may disappear due to poor buzz, because unless the movie is worthy of a big screen experience, family audiences may hesitate to go to the cinema.
Rajaram, vice president of Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation, said that in this case, producers and distributors suffered losses. “Divers of percentage sharing systems related to manufacturers are the best benefit of rising fares. They play a significant role in changing costs,” he said.
Kannada film producer Karthik Gowda is the founder of production company KRG Studios and has been driving dynamic fares for the past two years. “The movie will be released at a specific price and if it gets a good response, ticket prices will rise. We are discussing this with exhibitors at KRG Studios,” Karthik proposed in 2023.
It’s the way forward, said Yogi G. Raj, co-founder of KRG Studios. “We distributed it Daredevil Musthafa,,,,,Content-oriented Kannada movies from new immigrants. We only charge Rs 1 for the premiere. Those who attended the show loved the movie and spread the word. You should treat each movie differently and raise the price according to people’s reactions. ” he said.
To please price-sensitive audiences, multiple associations in India often organize national film festivals. That day, tickets for all shows were Rs 99. PVR Inox also launched a movie pass called the PVR Passport, where you can watch four movies per month at Rs 349.
OTT Challenge
Despite these changes, many people are still watching their favorite movies comfortably because they find OTT subscriptions affordable. Amazon Prime Video has an annual subscription of Rs 1,499, while Netflix has a monthly subscription of Rs 649, with the option to share the account with four people. JioHotstar offers an ad-free annual subscription of ₹1,499. Cross-platform mobile subscriptions are much lower.
Multiple file photos in Bangalore. Apart from fares, the steep prices of popcorn and other food and beverages often anger the public. |Picture source:
Expensive refreshments
Apart from fares, the steep prices of popcorn and other food and beverages often anger the public. “Multiplexing is about selling social status, not promoting cinemas,” said Rajaram of Karnataka Film Exhibitors Federation. The price of a regular size popcorn bathtub is Rs 350 to 400, while the maximum price is around Rs 600.
PVR Inox Ltd. continues to face the heat of audiences’ pricing for refreshments. Reporter Tridip K. “Rs 460 for 55 grams of cheese popcorn and Rs 360 for Pepsi. Pepsi totaled Rs 820.
His post was all the rage on social media in 2023, forcing PVR Inox to introduce the “Bestsellar@99” offer, through which people can buy refreshments for Rs 99 from Monday to Thursday’s show until 6pm, however, the restrictions on the offer vary by city to city.
File photos of Santosh Theater, Bangalore. |Picture source:
On the opening weekend of a big movie, a family of four may cost between Rs 3,000 and 4,000, including snacks. In 2023, the Supreme Court ruled that “multiple persons are private property and owners can set terms and conditions for entry”, thus prohibiting people from bringing food to theaters. “The consumer is a small fish targeting multiple sharks. The wheat makes money every year. It is impossible to compete with it in court.”
“Many people from the state government and MLA are stakeholders in diversified properties. If the income of diversification falls, it will affect them. So I doubt whether the fare cap proposal will be officially official in Karnataka.”
Recently, Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar reopened the debate by talking about people staying away from theaters. “Since the movie outings cost up to Rs 10,000, families don’t spend much on the movie, reducing their trip to the theater,” he said in the interaction..
In a public statement, President Kamal Gianchandani refuted Karan’s observations. In 2023, the average ticket price (ATP) for all cinemas in India is Rs 130. PVR Inox, the country’s largest film chain, reported an ATP of Rs 258 for the fiscal year 2023-24. In addition, the average spend per person during this period was f&b, and the average cost of PVR Inox was Rs 132 during this period, so togens for Fornect for Fornect for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornial for Fornectit. It is significantly different from the Rs 10,000 number carried in the media reports. ”
He added that the fate of the film depends on “content and attraction” rather than pricing. “Any evaluation of pricing in the film industry must illustrate the broader economics of the film business, which involves multiple stakeholders, including producers, distributors and exhibitors. Each of these participants contributes to the final cost of the consumer, and the final price will eventually be affected by market demand and supply. If lowering the price for the income of all people can optimize these statements for the income of these statements, then these statements can make these persons adapt naturally to his business, which will adapt naturally.
Rajaram said the high price is not important to those who watch movies occasionally. “For them, it was just an outing, they were willing to spend money. The average filmmaker thinks he was torn off by the theater. It was a daylight robbery for movie fans.”
(Edited by Giridhar Narayan)
publishing – May 16, 2025 at 07:20 am
