When Amitabh Bachchan recently shared a ticket from a Sholay screening, what caught attention was the seat classification printed in bold: Special Class. According to film experts, such tickets reflect a long-forgotten language of cinema-going in India. Your seat didn’t just determine your view, it also revealed your social standing. “It wasn’t a standard classification at all cinemas. But the ticket is from Excelsior cinema in Bombay (Mumbai), where the last few rows, separated from the main cluster of seats, were called Special Class,” says film historian Shivendra Singh Dungarpur.

Today, watching a film is a different experience – with recliners, gourmet snacks, and curated drinks, it feels more like a luxe night out. But it wasn’t always this fancy. Experts say old movie tickets act like time capsules, capturing how your seat reflected both access and your place in society.

The front bench was as crucial as the director’s name on the poster. “Front bench full hai toh film hit hai – yeh criteria tha hit film ka,” laughs Alok Diesh, a veteran in the cinema business, who was around long before ticketing apps came along. He says that the front bench was rowdy and loud. If those seats – often the cheapest and closest to the screen – were packed, it meant the film had made its way to the masses.

Chaitanya Prasad, a moviegoer in his 60s, recalls, “Balcony seats were always something to envy. It was almost like winning a medal if you got a ticket for the latest release. So, a balcony ticket was just something we could only wish for as students. And some places, like Regal, even had box seats for VIPs.”

“Cinema owner toh DM se bada hota tha!” jokes film distributor Sanjay Ghai. “DM bhi film ki ticket ke liye usi ko phone karta tha. If the show was full, the manager would actually put the phone aside to avoid requests.”

Cine experts say that back in the day, your seat at the movies didn’t just decide your view – it said something about who you were. “In the ’50s and ’60s, men and women wouldn’t sit together. They had separate seats,” says Shivendra Singh Dungarpur. “Then came the idea that families could sit together. Later, the halls were redesigned to include balconies, dress circles, stalls. The stalls were closer to the projection and had a better angle. The dress circle was more separated and above.”

Film historian Gautam Chintamani describes seating at that time as highly stratified. “Roughly 65–80% of a cinema hall consisted of regular seats. Above those, you had the balcony, dress circle, and family boxes – small private enclosures with curtains or side doors. It used to be reserved for VIPs or people who didn’t want to be seen. So the seating reflected that hierarchy,” he says.

Post-Emergency (1975), while film content shifted towards escapism, the kind of audience frequenting cinema halls also changed. A certain segment of society – families and the working-class continued going to theatres. For them, cinema was an escape. You could smoke during interval (inside the cinema), have a cold drink and unwind. Seating reflected this shift, as theatres became places of affordable leisure for the masses.

Technological upkeep of theatres declined in the late 80s. India had 70mm theatres, grand halls with large seating capacities, but over time, infrastructure deteriorated.

Filmmaker Mansoor Khan once mentioned how he visited a theatre to watch Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and found the doors didn’t shut completely, allowing light to spill onto the screen, and how 300–400 chairs creaked due to lack of oiling or maintenance. This decline shows the type of audience that still came to theatres – mainly lower and middle classes – while the elite moved towards home entertainment.

A significant shift happened with Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) . For the first time, a filmmaker gave theatre owners a checklist – unless the cinema had a particular sound system, clean restrooms (especially for women), and quality snacks, the film would not be released. This forced theatres to upgrade their infrastructure.

By late 90s, multiplexes like Priya in Delhi ushered in a new era. With advanced sound, better projection, and more comfortable seating, the expectations around what a cinema experience should feel like changed. By the 2000s, theatres began offering recliners, blankets, and luxury lounges. Cinema-going became an upscale, family-friendly outing.

– Film historian Gautam Chintamani

In a recent post on X, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma took on the makers of the Ram Charan-starrer Game Changer for allegedly showcasing inflated box office numbers. Varma’s post revived the debate around filmmakers overstating a film’s earnings to create the impression of success and positive word-of-mouth reviews.

With Game Changer, however, it is clear that this issue isn’t just prevalent in Bollywood, but in southern cinema as well. Despite it being a long-standing practice, it seems to benefit no one in the long run. We ask trade experts if there is an endgame to misleading audiences.

Game Changer producers reported that the film earned Rs. 186 crore on release day, January 10. If true, this would make the film the fourth-best opening for an Indian film ever, behind Pushpa 2,Baahubali 2, and RRR.

However, as per trade sources, the film opened under Rs. 100 crore worldwide; in fact, data portal Sacnilk reported a collection of only Rs. 80 crore. A source from within the Telugu film industry tells us, “Generally, [film teams] do this within a margin of 10-15%. but what Game Changer did is way beyond 70-80%.” The insider adds, “It is usually done to satisfy the fans or a hero’s ego.”

Distributor Sanjay Ghai explains that filmmakers often use terms such as gross or net value in their marketing to confuse audiences who might not understand the distinction. “Public ko yeh sab samajh nahin aata. Unko ko bas itna samajh aata hai ki film Rs. 500 crore cross kar gayi.”

While Ghai clarifies that distributors have no say in the numbers, he continues, “South aur north dono jagah halat kharab hai par janta sab janti hai sach kya hai.”

Notably, films in the past year such as Jigra and Kalki 2898 AD, among others also faced scrutiny for allegedly inflating box office figures. But why is this done?

Trade analyst Atul Mohan says that the motive is primarily to shape public perception: “Yeh sab perception build karne ke liye kiya jata hai.” Pointing out that accurate first-day collection reports are typically only made available the following afternoon, he shares, “The numbers that [makers] project in the first three days is all marketing; it is done to make people curious.”

Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Director: “Marketing today is full of lies. Influencers are paid to promote fake narratives. When theatres are empty, producers buy their own tickets and spread false box office numbers. I’m being honest—my film released yesterday, and very few people showed up. No one else will admit their film didn’t have a good opening.”

Bhushan Kumar, Filmmaker: “I can’t speak for others, but I don’t believe in this; it’s made-up. Maybe [numbers are increasing] through corporate bookings. That doesn’t mean people are buying tickets since the halls are empty.“

Anil Sharma, Director: Film agar achchi hai toh number badhao, ghatao koi farak nahin padhta. Ab time ho gaya hai branding ka, sabko brand banana hai. Kuch saal baad sirf poster reh jaate hain branding waale. But this doesn’t help the industry or actors.actors.

Karan Johar, Filmmaker: During an interview in October, the filmmaker confirmed that inflating numbers was a long-standing practice in Bollywood. “Yes, numbers are fudged, true,” he had said.

Atul Mohan, Analyst: I think this began with Ghajini (2008), when the Rs. 100 crore clubs started. Everyone wanted to brand themselves as champs. Now it’s at a point where before the first day is over, posters claim that a film is ‘close to Rs. 25 crore’ and so forth.

Kartik Aaryan, Actor: On Thursday the actor said, “Some people [inflate the numbers], and some don’t. It has reached a level where the lines are so blurred that you have to guess how much a film has actually earned. Audiences are smart... they use their own judgment rather than relying on numbers. Eventually, I think films find their [own] space.”

Amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the Indian film industry heaved a sigh of relief when the government allowed theatres to reopen last year in October with 50% occupancy. Many, however, were waiting for the number of people allowed in theatres to be increased. Things finally seem to be getting back on track as on Wednesday, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) announced new guidelines permitting theatres higher occupancy effective from February 1.

Shibasish Sarkar, CEO, Reliance Entertainment says, “This is definitely encouraging. Even when the capacity was 50%, we were considering releasing at least Sooryavanshi or '83 at the end of March or first week of April. So, this makes our thought process more concrete.”

Lauding this “positive decision”, Kamal Gianchandani, CEO PVR Pictures Ltd, feels this will be useful for South Indian films which are lined up for February to begin with. Trade expert Atul Mohan says now there can’t be any excuse to hold back those big budget films. “We’re hoping for the cap to go up to 75% at least. Filmmakers should be ready for the litmus test,” he says.

Highlighting how big films need to hit screens soon to enhance the business, Sanjay Ghai, COO, Distribution and Exhibition, North, Mukta Arts Ltd, says, “We’re already on ventilators, makers of big films should understand that... I hope this move will motivate states like Rajasthan and Jharkhand to allow film theatres to function.”

While all eyes are on the increase in seating capacity, Tips Industries chairman and managing director Kumar Taurani hopes for some relaxation regarding the allowance of food and beverage inside the theatres in. Film exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi reveals one of the discussion points regarding the seating arrangement was to keep a seat vacant between every unit. “By unit we mean a family, couple or group of friends. Now, let’s see what details emerge,” he says.

Calling it “a fantastic move by the government”, Milap Zaveri, writer-director, feels the audience is hungry for big commercial cinema. “Once the big films release, audiences will flock to theatres in large numbers,” he says. Rathi and Sarkar, too, agree that the audiences are ready, so the time is right now.

It has been nearly a month since India slipped into demonetisation mode. Businesses, across, have been affected without an exception. Even though the box office has just begun to recover, we know it will be a slow ride down that road. Most November releases have fared below expectations, and footfalls, over all, have seen a considerable dip. Naturally, single screens have felt the pinch harder. Fearing low collections, producers are now reassessing the release dates of their films which they'd blocked months in advance.

Rock On 2, which hit the screens on November 11, was the first big Hindi film to release immediately after the demonetisation drive. Despite a buy-one-get-one-free offer on tickets, the musical registered below par numbers. The animation flick, Chaar Sahibzaade: Rise of Banda Singh Bahadur, which released the same day, registered comparatively decent collections. That week's third release, Dongri Ka Raja, wasn't even in the running. Force 2 and Tum Bin 2 came a week later. While the former saw decent numbers during the opening weekend, the latter didn't make the grade. Fortunately, Dear Zindagi helped the business sense some relief from frightening box-office numbers. The Alia Bhatt-Shah Rukh Khan-starrer has brought in a ray of hope. All eyes are now set on Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh that opens today.

“There's a 50 per cent dip in collections in most territories as compared to what we see usually at this time of the year. A lot of cinemas are running shows on minimum capacity, which adds to their expense. When people can't withdraw even modest sums, how will they spend on movie outings? Luxuries come after necessities, right?“ rues producer Mukesh Bhatt, head of the Film and Television Producers Guild of India (FTPGI).

He adds, “What did the government plan for single screens and smaller multiplex chains that can't survive even when the times aren't as bad? An average weekend collection of Rs 40 crore has slipped by 50 per cent. Even Aamir Khan's upcoming release Dangal could take a hit, the difference might be felt.“

Clearly, not all movie patrons rush to cinemas after a long day at the bank queues. The demonetization drive, which initially didn't seem like it would affect Bollywood's basic modalities, seems to be taking a toll. Producers are now watching out for the box-office collections of December's two big-ticket movies, because the performances of these films would pave the way for releases slated from January 2017.

Mumbai-based distributor Rajesh Thadani says, “If Dangal doesn't perform well, most producers will be forced to reassess their dates. Not that they aren't doing it right now. For example, Wajah Tum Ho was pushed ahead. The impact of demonetisation is slowly wearing out, but it will take a while for the business to stabilise and recover.“

Sanjay Ghai, a Delhi-based distributor and cinema chain owner, points out, “Postponing dates will add to promotional costs and affect the producer's math. Recovery from films will slow down because a transformation like this takes long to settle in. In most centres, across the last month, weekdays have been weaker than weekends.“

Manoj Desai, the owner of single-screen theatres in Mumbai, has another issue at hand. “We don't get subsidies. While the tickets cost around Rs 100 each, people have been coming to us with Rs 2000 notes. Where will we find so much change to return? Even with low prices, we're finding it difficult to sustain,“ he sighs.

However, the picture is not entirely bleak. Hollywood film Doctor Strange registered good numbers, building on its young, multiplex-going target audience, familiar with the online ticketing infrastructure. Indore-based distributor Aditya Chowksey says, “Some Hindi releases had rank bad content. Even a regional film like Ventilator (which released on November 4) did far better business than the Bollywood fare. Doctor Strange held its own; Ae Dil Hai Mushkil continued its run, too. Good content has had takers even in bad times. Yes, the figures have seen an overall slump, but that's not entirely due to demonetisation.“

Kamal Gianchandani of a national multiplex chain says that he was surprised to find that his revenue hadn't been impacted as badly as he feared. “The use of plastic money has doubled up at chains like ours. People don't use cash even at food counters and parking lots. We were lesser affected because our patrons used digital wallets. But to say that a film tanked because of the economic drive alone is a bit much. If that was the case, international and regional films wouldn't have done well, right? It's time to look within and figure out why and where we are losing money,“ he sums up.