Alarmed by the dwindling footfalls in theatres, multiplex owners have put their heads together and found that boxoffice collections of new releases in the first half of 2013 have been dismal, leading to losses to the tune of Rs 170 crore. This in turn has prompted them to take a collective decision to drastically slash ticket prices.
As such, BIG Cinemas has cut down ticket prices across the board by nearly 20 per cent. So also Fun Cinemas, which has introduced a flat rate of Rs 110 per ticket on Tuesdays. Whereas at Cinemax Sion, tickets that cost around Rs 160-180 earlier are now available at Rs 120 a piece on Tuesdays and Thursdays. At Cinemax Ghatkopar, prices have been slashed to Rs 110 per ticket Monday to Thursday. At Metro, balcony and stall tickets are now available at a flat rate of Rs 140 over weekends and Rs 110 on weekdays.
While it's just two weeks since the new prices came into existence and they are not yet applicable across cinema chains, theatre owners intend to introduce them shortly in all cinema halls under their purview.
When contacted, Ashish Saksena, COO, BIG Cinemas, confirmed the development and said: "We have reduced ticket prices by 20 per cent on an average. The competition pricing was rather low, which prompted this decision." Anand Vishal, Head of Operations, Fun Cinemas, said: "Ever since we've introduced lower pricing on Tuesdays in our Andheri multiplex, it has brought in three times the crowd, not to mention newer segments. We've realised we are now catering to a more diverse audience than before. While it has worked, we've yet to take a call on the extent to which we take it forward. So far, occupancy on Tuesdays has increased." Said Girish Wankhede, GM, Cinemax India: "This move is simply to attract more people."
TOI has learnt that distributors too egged on theatre owners to take this decision. Said leading distributor Ramesh Sippy: "We had been telling them since the longest time. Finally, they've made a beginning."
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