THE SHOW MUST GO ON...

People are returning to theatres in large numbers as the magic of cinema remains unparalleled

A lot has been said and written about the impact of the pandemic on the economy, the country, and the individual lives of people. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the cinema industry was one of the worst-hit, if not the most. On March 17 last year around 7,000 single screens and 3,500 multiplex ones across the country were closed for operations, putting the jobs of around two lakh employees and indirect jobs of lakhs in this manpower-intensive industry at risk, bringing the entire business to nil revenue in a single day. Bleak as these circumstances were, it has also proven to be a time of immense innovation and resilience where people rose to the challenge and responded to this global crisis with creative solutions and camaraderie.

The COVID scenario was completely unprecedented and very little was known from past experiences and collective knowledge to navigate this unchartered territory. Wasting no time, we sprang into action engaging with world leaders in our industry and participating in discussions in global forums, where cutting-edge technologies for best safety practices were appraised. The plan was to implement stringent hygiene protocols, social distancing, and food safety measures along with minimal human contact across all touchpoints.

The recent overwhelming response during the release of Tenet was, in part, due to the confidence among our customers as a result of these safety measures, which finds its fullest expression in the PVR Care campaign. By stringently adhering to health and safety protocols it ensured that customers and employees stay safe as well as breathe healthy by maintaining optimum indoor air quality inside the theatres by adopting measures like increased intake of fresh air, deep sanitization before the start of every show, maintaining temperature and humidity levels and social distancing in seating.

As a result, theatres were booked to capacity in accordance with 50 percent occupancy guideline recommended by the Ministry of Home Affairs. This further goes on to indicate that people have been waiting for a great and safe out-of-home experience after being confined indoors for months. People are hardwired to go out and seek shared experiences, which makes for a strong case for them to return to the theatres with greater enthusiasm.

Cinema always held a special place in our country. As the cheapest form of entertainment, it offers a unique experience in an entertainment-starved country like ours. Interestingly, data has shown that there hasn’t been much change in people’s disposable income due to COVID as they continue to shop, eat out, and even buy cars and assets. Additionally, spending on weddings, leisure, and travel has resumed since the lockdown was lifted. So, there’s no reason to believe that cinema which provides the whole package movie, five-star ambiance and food under one roof —

will be affected. Further, the discounts, promotion offers on tickets, and F&B that were introduced since theatres reopened to make it a great offering.

Scepticism about the opening of theatres has generated discussions challenging the relevance and value of cinemas. The extinction of cinemas has been talked and written about by pundits about from time immemorial during important junctures. First, it was piracy, then it became television and satellite channels, later it was the introduction of DVD players and for a while, it was the IPL. More recently cinema halls have been pitted against OTT platforms. However, the overwhelming response has only confirmed that people were grudgingly watching movies at home because there was no option. This recent trend is only a phase and not the norm. Normally, in a week, about 10 to 15 new films are released in India. However, we’ve only had 12-15 releases so far across OTT platforms. It’s also important to note that the performance of cinemas is being compared when theatres have not even fully opened. In reality, OTT platforms and theatres are not in competition with each other. Every new release has a life cycle with the largest chunk of its

The immense success is also partly due to customer engagement during the lockdown. Recognising that people were confined to their homes for months, #OuchTheCouch digital campaign invited cinema enthusiasts to share video clips or images expressing how much they miss watching films in a theatre. At the end of the campaign, the entries were to be compiled into a film that ran when the cinemas reopened and also featured on the brand’s social media pages.

Once reopened, there was a strategic focus on building customer confidence. Innovative schemes and promotions were introduced on pricing as well as the content, in a way to invite our patrons to experience our safety measures and, in turn, they would act as our evangelists. On the content front, several film festivals were organized such as ‘Return of the Blockbusters’ showcasing most loved hits like Tanhaji, Thappad, and others; ‘Unmissable Hits’ showcasing award-winning content like Parasite, Joker, Ford vs Ferrari and more, which was followed by the ‘Halloween Film Festival’ showcasing the long-awaited The Rental along with past horror favorites such as Conjuring 2 and IT. This has been complemented with private screenings.

In addition, we recently launched a microwave popcorn brand ‘Popmagic’ which marks our entry into the F&B business.