Less is more? Here’s hoping

Karan Johar and Mukesh Bhatt

Bollywood has been witnessing a dry spell at the box office, which has jolted producers into action. Over the past month, members of the Producers Guild of India, Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA), and some Tamil and Telugu producers had three rounds of meetings with talent agents to discuss stars' entourage costs (No frills is the new drill, June 8). Today, the producers' unions will have a big Bollywood meet-up with the heads of multiplex chains, including PVR-Inox. On the agenda is a discussion about revising movie tickets to increase footfall.

Filmmaker Karan Johar and producer Mukesh Bhatt will be present from the Guild, as the parties contemplate a new price point and devise more promotional strategies to lure audiences. A source tells us, "Most screens are running empty. A part of the reason is the steep ticket costs. Also, there has been a shift in the audiences' mindset as they know a new release will be available on OTT after eight to 10 weeks. At such a time, it is imperative to lure them with reasonable prices. It was seen on Mr & Mrs Mahi's opening day last month, when tickets were available at R99. Because of this, the film's first-day collections were good. People are willing to step into theatres if the tickets don't burn a hole in their pocket. That will be the focus of our conversation."