In a bid to lure audiences back to the silver screen, theatres are employing innovative strategies such as Buy One, Get One (BOGO) offers and reduced ticket prices. These tactics aim to not only attract moviegoers but also ensure the success of films that might otherwise struggle to find an audience. With several recent releases reaping the benefits, it appears that these approaches are yielding positive results.

One film that capitalized on the BOGO offer was Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (ZHZB). According to insiders, the offer came with a limited number of free tickets available each day. Once the cap was reached, tickets reverted to their regular prices. ZHZB managed to earn Rs. 5.49 crore on its opening day, with nearly Rs. 50 lakh coming from the BOGO offer alone. “Fortunately, ZHZB’s content was good, so the offer became an advantage,” says Rajender Singh Jyala, chief programming officer, PVR Limited.

The makers of The Kerala Story recently announced that audiences could now watch the film for just Rs. 99 (plus GST) nationwide. Sudipto Sen, the film’s director, explains that “this decision was driven by the exorbitant ticket prices in major cities. By lowering the cost, the film could reach a broader audience, including smaller cities where it hadn’t been released previously”. 

While in the case of Shehzada, the BOGO offer couldn’t weave magic, it contributed to the success of the re-mastered version of Gadar (2001). Its director and producer, Anil Sharma, shares, “We made the tickets cheaper so that even a poor person could come to a multiplex. Otherwise, today, ticket prices are such that taking a family to one film costs anywhere between Rs. 1,000-1,500. This is also why films don’t work well.”

Meanwhile, Hollywood movie The Flash has adopted a unique strategy by announcing “Flash Sales” twice a day for 20 minutes (the offer lasted for three days until June 14), where users who are able to book tickets through a multiplex chain’s app will get 50% off on tickets.

Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi encourages such tactics, but says, “This kind of strategy would never be successful for films like Brahmastra (2022) and Pathaan because it’d erode potential revenue. But for (small or medium-budget) films like ZHZB, it works like magic. This becomes the push to watch in halls instead of web.”