India's cinema-going habits are shifting, with high ticket prices and inconsistent film quality driving audiences away from theatres. However, Bollywood is struggling more than regional cinema
Lata Jha
Updated10 Jul 2024, 03:24 PM IST
An estimated 157 million Indians watched at least one film in a theatre in 2023, resulting in 943 million footfalls at the domestic box office.
Cinema-going in India isn't quite the ingrained habit it once was. Today, the allure of the big screen is often reserved for major releases, festivals, and holidays when people have more leisure time and disposable income.
A recent report by media consulting firm Ormax reveals that 157 million Indians watched at least one film in a theatre in 2023, resulting in 943 million footfalls at the domestic box office. However, this translates to an average of just six films per theatre-goer annually, with Hindi films drawing particularly low numbers—only three per person. In contrast, Tamil and Telugu films see averages of 8.1 and 9.2, respectively.
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High ticket prices, a dearth of mass-market cinema, and a plethora of free home entertainment options are driving Indians away from theatres, experts say.
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The seasonal surge and habitual hurdles
“Major releases, festivals, and holidays serve as stronger external triggers, indicating that cinema-going could be more seasonal or event-based,” according to the Ormax report.
It added that while boredom, the need for entertainment, and the desire for social experiences are internal triggers for theatre visits, robust competition from other entertainment options—such as live events, experiential activities, and restaurants—makes cinema-going heavily reliant on these external triggers. The irregularity of theatre visits, coupled with the expense and effort involved compared to free or low-cost alternatives like television or OTT platforms, further diminishes its habitual nature.
“The biggest hindrance to cinema-going emerging as a definitive habit in India, is the sizeable variance in the quality of the movies being created. Uncertainty about the quality of films and the absence of a strong string of films as a given, prevents greater involvement in the activity,” Ormax said.