This Friday, on National Cinema Day, going to the movies also meant waiting in long lines. These long lines were not to buy tickets as those were already booked and sold-out two days in advance but these lines were to enter the cinema halls. The first shows this Friday began at 6 am at several cinemas and at 4am in some cities.

Moviegoers said that it was not easy to purchase the tickets. Shreya Shah, a college student, said, “My friends and I were lucky that we booked in advance as the plans filled in fast. When my brother and his friends tried to book tickets on Thursday evening they had to settle for seats that were extremely ahead. Another friend was taking sometime to book her tickets and within five seconds they were gone. So, she had to check for other shows.”

Pratik Deshpande, a sales person, said, “We had to book seats apart as they there were hardly any available when we booked on Thursday. Though we couldn’t sit together, we didn’t want to miss the experience of watching a film at this price.”

While some moviegoers said they have stepped out for the first time in a long time, others said they wanted to see how a houseful theatre feels. Vardhan Duggal, a moviegoer in his 20s, said, “I had forgotten how it feels to go out for a movie in a crowd. In my last few movie outings, the theatre was empty. Aaj to mela laga hua hai. I came to watch a movie today only to get that houseful feeling.”

For Shilpi Puri, a moviegoer in her 50s, said, “It is my first Friday morning show, maybe in decades.”

Cinemas have been criticized for too long for not keeping ticket prices low and when this week finally MAI did, people turned out in huge numbers. For patrons like Mayur Shah it didn’t matter which film they were watching. “We booked the tickets that were available without really bothering which movie it is. Any movie is worth watching if the ticket costs on Rs. 75.”

Jayashree Bhatia, a 45-year-old HR executive, said, “I am a huge movie buff and I watch films at the theatre almost every Friday. However, the kind of crowd I saw today, I haven’t seen such numbers in a long time. This proves that if the ticket prices are lowered more people will come to watch films in theatres. Many families cannot afford the high cost of tickets coupled with the food and beverage prices. Today, my total expenditure was less than half of what I spend usually.”

Some moviegoers also planned to watch multiple shows and some booked luxury format shows which were available for a discounted price. A moviegoer said, “I’m watching four films today. It’s 12 to 12 for me. It is a day out at the movies for me.”

Suraj Batra, a moviegoer said, “Every week when films release we discuss OTT pe kab aa rahi hai? Reviews kaise hain? Kitna wait karna hoga ghar pe dekhne ke liye? The reason is why would you want to waste the whole amount of your OTT subscription on just one film to find out that it was not worth it?”