17 Dec , 2022 By : Monika Singh
If film buffs are hooked to larger-than-life content, Ajay Bijli of PVR Cinemas is matching it with a larger-than-life movie experience. Given that multiplex balancesheets have been battered during the pandemic, and cinemas need every trick to pull the crowds, it might just be the strategy to turn things around.
With Friday’s launch of the ICE Theatre experience in India — also the first in Asia-Pacific — in two cinemas in the NCR region, PVR Cinemas is really pushing the envelope. ICE technology features LED panels on each side of the auditorium, offering an immersive experience with dynamic shapes and colours enhanced with 4K projection, 3D Dolby Atmos®, besides custom-made wide seats and curved rows.
“The philosophy is that people should get what they can’t in their homes. We have to keep pushing to get people to come to the cinemas, and offer an experience that attracts them to theatres,” said Bijli, chairman and managing director, PVR. So if it is formats like ICE in metros, full size screens and comfortable seating works for places like Yamunanagar. “We can’t have a one-size-fits-all offering. We are trying for a high quality movie experience at every price point; trying to get every kind of customer back to theatres,” said Bijli, pointing out that only 10-15% of PVR cinemas are premium and the rest have ticket prices below `200.
Optimistic about multiplexes bouncing back, he expects things to stabilise within the next two-three quarters. “The pandemic also reduced the quantity of films being made. From about 140, Hollywood offered only 70-odd films this year. This impacted exhibitors. Plus, in the past two years, we hiked ticket prices by only 7%. So nobody can say cinemas have become expensive.”
In the coming year, he insists multiplexes will hold their ground against the OTT onslaught. “OTTs are just another channel to watch movies. Today, everything can be ordered at home, but all retail outlets are doing better business than pre-pandemic. Similarly, while you can watch films at home, it can’t match the movie-going experience, which is also a social outing. So it’s about coexistence,” he said. He also expects the merger with INOX to strengthen the business. “The whole idea was to make balancesheets stronger. We will have more capital to go to tier-2 and 3 cities. And with the retail boom, more malls are expected to come up, which will also result in more demand for cinemas,” Bijli added.
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