Cinema Day can drive movie ticket sales, but strategy unviable in long term

Initiatives like this may have spurred a jump in footfalls on those special days, but such one-off occasions may not be enough for theatre chains to sustain demand, experts said.

The low-priced tickets have benefited movies such as Article 370, Mr & Mrs Mahi, Yudhra and others that were unlikely to see similar traction at regular rates, but trade experts emphasize that the move, aimed at stimulating demand via a price incentive, doesn’t lead to a rise in footfalls in the long term. The films almost always fizzle out the day after the incentive and only manage to make a short-lived event out of an otherwise unexciting film. Moreover, the move runs the risk of losing its charm if adopted too frequently.

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“In the current scenario when streaming offers a plethora of options, non-event films have struggled to open at the box office, and the share of big-ticket blockbusters continues to go up. However, Cinema Day creates a mini-event of its own where the pitch is the ticket price ( ₹99) and not the title (and its credentials) itself. All titles running, including holdover releases, become a part of this collective event," media consulting firm Ormax said in a blogpost recently. It added that Cinema Days can provide spikes through event-ization but they are not habit-forming as an idea and hence hold limited strategic value. This limits their potential towards the growth of the Hindi box office, both in the short and long run.

This year, the National Cinema Day was celebrated on 20 September, but this date is not fixed. Theatre chains have recently organised the Cinema Day more than once in a year to drive footfalls.

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Some experts say that such events are not so much about footfalls as they are about rekindling excitement around the theatrical experience. “This day serves as a powerful reminder of the love and magic of cinema—a shared experience that transcends individual viewing. The collective energy in the auditorium and the emotional responses create a unique atmosphere that only a cinema can offer. In the grand scheme, the real success lies in reigniting that spark of enthusiasm for cinema," Kamal Gianchandani, chief executive officer, PVR INOX Pictures Ltd and president, Multiplex Association of India, said. “National Cinema Day is an annual event. Hosting it more frequently could indeed dilute its novelty and impact," he added.

Conceding that such initiatives cannot work as long-term strategies, independent exhibitor Vishek Chauhan said most of the films that benefited from Cinema Day fizzled out the day after. For instance, Rajkummar Rao and Jahnvi Kapoor-starrer Mr & Mrs Mahi that would have ordinarily opened at ₹3.4 crore on a regular Friday, benefited from the initiative to make ₹6.8 crore on the first day. However, the day after, it dropped to ₹4.5 crore.

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“Theatres cannot create demand, that can only come from the creation of good and engaging films. Cinemas can make it easier for people to come by pricing tickets correctly for people to see value in coming. But soon, merit will start talking and quality takes over," Chauhan said, adding that such one-off initiatives work in a manner similar to e-commerce sales where people flock in for anything on offer.