Filmmakers Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar spoke about the high costs attached to watching films dissuading audiences from making a trip to the theatres. Karan said that according to surveys that he is privy to, an average consumer has reduced theatrical outings to twice a year, because they would rather spend their time and money in a restaurant instead of paying for overpriced snacks while watching a movie. “Food costs are crazy,” Zoya said. Both filmmakers participated in a roundtable interview hosted by The Hollywood Reporter India.
Zoya said, “People can’t afford to go to the cinema. They want to go to the cinema. If you’re going to go twice, you’re going to choose what films you want to go to. Even if I want to go see Laapataa Ladies, maybe I can’t afford to.” Karan shared some insights that he learned, and said, “They went to 100 homes, and out of those 100 homes, 90 said they will watch only two films a year (in theatres).”
He continued, “This is of an income group that is a massive part of our audience base. They can’t afford it. They maybe come out on Diwali, or if they hear about a film like Stree 2… Family members said that they don’t like to go to cinema halls, because when kids say that they want popcorn or something to eat, they feel bad denying them, so they would rather go to a restaurant, where they’re not paying for the ticket, they’re paying only for the food. They said, ‘Our child will point and say he wants caramel popcorn, but we can’t afford it’. Because the average cost for a family of four can be Rs 10,000. And maybe those Rs 10,000 are not in their economic planning at all.
In a past interview with The Indian Express, PVR-INOX chief Ajay Bijli addressed the issue of high ticket and F&B prices at his cinemas. He said, “I’m a business, I also need to get an return on investment. If you put a Rs 8 crore projector, then you need to get your revenues in line to get that ROI, which will satisfy any investment decision you make.” In another interview, he blamed lacklustre films for not driving enough revenue, and rejected the idea that the cost of watching films had anything to do with declining box office returns. He told Film Companion, “They aren’t attracted only to price. They’re saying, ‘In my three hours, also give me something engaging’. Pricing isn’t the only thing that moves the needle.”
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