Moviegoers were in for a treat when theatres celebrated Cinema Lover’s Day on January 20 and offered tickets at Rs. 99. In Mumbai, many shows performed better than on regular days this month, while a couple of shows were housefull. However, as per cine experts, the day didn’t get as good a response as National Cinema Day, when 6 am shows were added to meet the demand.

While attendance at movie theatres didn’t peak, most moviegoers were in theatres to rewatch some recent films. Rakesh Mehta, a businessman, says, “I took four of my family members for Drishyam 2 because the tickets were affordable. We really wanted to watch this film, but on a regular day, ticket prices are very high.”

Priya Salian, a college student, saw Avatar: The Way Of Water with her friends on Cinema Lovers Day. She says, “We had seen the movie and wanted to watch it again. When I got to know that the ticket prices would be Rs 99 on Friday, we jumped at the opportunity. However, I think that not many people knew about the discount on ticket prices, it should have been publicized more.”

Deepali Rao, a homemaker, agrees. She says, “I happened to be at a mall and got to know that the ticket prices were lowered for a day. It was tough to make a sudden plan. These things should be advertised better.”

Cine experts say that cinemas are trying to keep footfalls up by organising these special days. Girish Johar, producer and business analyst, says, “The major learning from National Cinema Day was that if ticket prices are comparatively low, then moviegoers will come to theatres. But there should be a movie good enough to watch, and that’s the reason this day was nothing like the last National Cinema Day.” 

He adds, “But it definitely increases engagement. These activities help a lot, entice audiences and keep people in the habit of watching films at theatres.” Exhibitors also share that more such days will be celebrated from time to time in the future.

Even as the average cost of a movie ticket dipped last year, as compared to 2019, it went slightly up with major releases and reached its peak toward the end of 2022. Till 2019, a drop in ticket price was nearly unthinkable, but now cinemas are trying this model to attract footfall and sustain the business. Exhibitors say that Cinema Lover’s Day took inspiration from National Cinema Day and the overwhelming response to it.

An exhibitor says, “It was basically a strategy to attract more moviegoers on slow days. For the next few weeks, we have big releases lined up and offering this treat to moviegoers would not have been possible. Besides, due to few releases this month, we have witnessed a dull period at cinemas.”