'Average movie ticket price is Rs 260 which is very reasonable': PVR INOX CEO

The Multiplex Association of India MAI has announced the second edition of Cinema Lovers Day Under this program film tickets across multiplexes in the country will be available for Rs 99 barring luxury seating halls The offer is valid only on May 31 This is the second edition of Cinema Lovers Day this yearThe previous edition which was in February was a massive success Article 370 was released on that Friday and it caught a massive impetus because of the first edition of Cinema Lovers Day and we expect the program to repeat its success in the second edition We are expecting it to be bigger than the first edition says MAI president and PVR CEO Kamal Gianchandani talking to middaycomTickets are priced at Rs 99 the same level as February The kind of anecdotal feedback that we received from cinemas tells us that a large number of youth and families who perhaps find going to the theatres inaccessible because of the crisis come out and support these initiativesMaking cinema accessibleThe primary cause of concern post the pandemic for theatre owners was to get people back to the theatres The OTT platforms saw a massive boom during the pandemic making entertainment accessible in the comfort of their homes When asked if it is still a task to get people to the cinema halls Gianchandani puts the onus on content It depends on the quality of the film and the curiosity around the film thats releasing If the film is good its never been difficult to get people to theatres But if the film is substandard then its always been a problem Not postCOVID preCOVID but across the history of film business he said stressing that initiatives like Cinema Lovers Day is about making the experience accessible to large familiesIf people hear good things about a film they want to rush and be part of that experience As you know we have a window of eight weeks between theatrical and OTT release So legally if you want to watch a film in the first eight weeks you have to watch it in theatersIs multiplex pricing a deal breakerThere have also been conversations about the theatre experience being an expensive one which discourages a lot of people from heading to the theatres A theatre experience also involves consuming food and the snacks available have largely been targeted for being overpricedSharing his thoughts on the pricing structure Gianchandani says We practice what is known as variable pricing For different films different theaters different days different show timings we offer different prices These prices can suit all segments of our customersHe added The average ticket price at our chain of PVR INOX is only Rs 260 which is a very reasonable number given the inflation that we have in our economy People are willing to pay for quality people even in small townsThere is no resistance on FampB food and beverage pricing People enjoy our FampB offerings We have seen no drop in FampB sales postCOVID as compared to preCOVID which indicates that people are comfortable with the price at which we are offering them both FampB and ticketsIncreasing the 8week windowWhile there is an agreement for an 8week window between theatrical and OTT releases Gianchandani says they would love to increase the time period We would love to increase the window If you look at the international markets the window between theatrical release and streaming release is as high as four to five months We are in discussions with our production partners and we are also encouraging them to considerBut that said as far as numbers go we are comfortable with where we are The current admissions that we are reporting across the country indicate that when a film is good people want to watch it in the first week or in the second weekend at the latest Theres a lot of interest in movies and that works to the advantage of our business