Sitting in a darkened cinema hall with friends and family, popcorn in hand, enjoying the latest releases – an activity we all took for granted became a distant memory during the two years of Coronavirus. Overnight, the century-old pastime became a safety hazard.

In 2022, when it was finally safe to go to cinemas and there was a slew of releases, the box office saw more duds than hits. There was debate over whether cinemas are relevant in the post-pandemic world. Now, as we approach the end of 2022, with major Hollywood films having sold out opening weeks and south blockbusters raking in the moolah, box office analysts say there is enough evidence to show that the pandemic-induced phase of struggle is finally over.

Executives of pandemic-battered movie theaters say that after surviving this three-year battle, even though they do not have all the answers yet, one thing is certain: audiences are back to cinemas as you can’t bring halls home.

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After theatres in the USA and the UK slashed ticket prices on their National Cinema Day on September 3, the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) and cinemas across the country decided to follow suit, by celebrating National Cinema Day in India on September 23 with tickets priced at 75 (a considerable drop from the average price of 200-300).

The move was a big success and moviegoers queued up at as early as 6am to watch films back-toback. Several cinema and trade experts – who had initially predicted that it seemed unlikely that theatres would recover from the blow delivered by the pandemic – were proven wrong when houseful boards went back up at cinemas. Over 65 lakh viewers flocked to cinemas that day.

National Cinema Day also started a discussion around experimentation with an affordable price model. Several theatres offered movie tickets for a special festive price of 100 for consecutive weeks.

Eventually, stakeholders came to the conclusion that while there can’t be “uniform lower ticket price”, discounts and promotional prices on a per-movie basis can be the way ahead.

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The recently-released Avatar: The Way Of Water has recorded more advance ticket sales in India in its first week than any other Hollywood film this year, outpacing all other Hollywood record-holders of 2022. With the return in demand for advance bookings, cinemas have started selling tickets a week or 10 days in advance for select movies. Cine experts talk about what the comeback of this trend means.

Devang Sampat, CEO, Cinepolis, says, “It is the franchise films – like KGF and now Avatar – which see the most advance bookings, because the audience knows what to expect. In the case of RRR, fans of Baahubali flocked to theatres. When viewers know that they will get the value for money, they purchase tickets in advance.”

Karan Taurani, cinema analyst, adds, “The major factors that prompt a higher rate of advance bookings are positive word of mouth, large-scale content, festive releases or franchises for which there is anticipation.”

Sometimes, price can play a role too. For example, on National Cinema Day, cinemas across the country witnessed a huge spike in advance bookings because tickets were priced at 75.

Raj Bansal, exhibitor and industry expert, adds, “It indeed signals the recovery of the cinema business. I wouldn’t be surprised to see fans creating a new record as we clock the year. This trend is going to continue for the most-awaited releases of the coming year too.”

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Queuing for cinema tickets and houseful shows seem like things from the past. Cinemas – used to 30-50% occupancy on normal pre-pandemic days – have discarded the houseful boards long back. Now, these boards can only be found lying in a forgotten corner of some single screen theatres, a reminder of a bygone era.

Yogesh Raizada, exhibitor, says, “Houseful shows are so rare now that when it happens it reminds us of the guzra zamana of moviegoing. Those days are long gone when you would see a houseful board outside cinema halls. Barring two or three films in a year, that too for a few specific shows, none of the shows are sold out now.”

Cinema experts say, “Ab na ticket ki maaraamaari hoti hai, na darwaaze tootte hain.”

Adds Girish Johar, cinema business analyst, “Houseful boards are not just boards, these are sentiments. And those emotions are now missing – a sign of relief for the cinema proprietor and disappointment for viewers who couldn’t get a ticket. Ab agar houseful board kahin dikh jaye toh photo click kar lena chahiye.”

Agrees Raj Bansal, cinema expert and exhibitor, “In the era of single-screen theatres, giant sold-out boards would be kept outside the screens to tell moviegoers that all tickets have been sold out. Ab shows kabhi sold out hi nahi hote. The audiences do not exactly come in droves anymore.”