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Entertainment, Entertainment, Entertainment and we love entertainment. Movies are a great relief from routine chores, joy with loving ones and also an outing for the family. Family of two or whole family of 4 to 6 do plan a program to the cinemas in search of good entertainment.
The recent years post-pandemic have shown big screen entertainers, family entertainers and the ability to generate a pull to cinemas have reduced in the movie space. There are various reasons for the same.
The first and major reason is Content. The age-old saying ‘Content is the King‘ is a long-shelf-life mantra in itself. The recent duds have only proved how creating good to above-average content also becomes a difficult job for movie producers at times.
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Remakes which doesn’t require creative input are the second major issue. All remakes won’t work & this should have been learned by the makers trying to milk the popularity of the original. Not every film could be a Kabir Singh.
PAN India formula got wrong! Movies like KGF, RRR, and Pushpa were a few which opened the door for the PAN India wonder. Many followed and became disappointments in the name of entertainment.
Good content on OTT also changed the entertainment quotient of the audience. Many OTT platforms also brought movies to your homes and made content available at a cheaper cost than theatres.
There will be rare tsunamis like a Pathaan or The Kerala Story, Pushpa where the cinema business will try to capitalise the footfalls. Such tsunamis are also followed by dry runs of movies like Adipurush.
Here, I do have to don the cap of a Business Manager who must have suffered a lockdown, pandemic, bad theatrical run due to bad content, half empty to-empty theatres, due to rubbish in the name of content served by many movies. Being a HIT and MISS case and to recover costs, and balance cash flows and bottom lines like many businesses, Cinemas do have different avenues and streams of income to balance the Financials. Food and Beverage is one such avenue to offset and balance THE CASH FLOWS.
I agree cinema halls’ food and beverage are priced way higher than the cost price or the price at which you can pick it up from your Kirana store or supermarket. But I also understand that the sale of food/beverages at an air-conditioned and well-maintained cinema hall (with restrooms and housekeeping) is a service and not just an Over the counter sale like a shop or department store.
In the previous paragraph, I also have opined my understanding of additional offset revenue for the business. Movies’ Business is tough and it is always a struggle.
Rs 460 for 55gm of cheese popcorn, Rs 360 for 600ml of Pepsi. Total Rs 820 at @_PVRCinemas Noida.
That’s almost equal to annual subscription of @PrimeVideoIN.
No wonder people don’t go to cinemas anymore. Movie watching with family has just become unaffordable. pic.twitter.com/vSwyYlKEsK
— Tridip K Mandal (@tridipkmandal) July 1, 2023
Recently there was a big hue and cry created by a so-called journalist on social media making viral a bill of Popcorn and aerated drinks at a multiplex chain. This Rebel did create quite a viral protest on social media bringing the attention of the entity, media as well as the audience at large.
This made me ponder does one just order popcorn and soft drink without checking the price and get such a rude shock as in this case, or does one checks the price (which is displayed, listed) and will get off the line if he feels overpriced or cannot afford it? Another reason can be this purchase is just an investment to gather social media attention and become viral, it could be anything.
I am an avid cinema visitor and I do watch movies and am aware of the high price of food (due to some business & common sense). I am sure the lakhs of people visiting the cinema are also aware of the high food prices in the multiplex. I also have a question for this gentleman: In general, why does one get hungry or so thirsty in these 2-3 hours of movie time that they need to munch that expensive popcorn, overpriced samosas, or costly colas and crib about the cost?
Why can’t you munch before a movie starts or after finishing your cinema? You can grab your cola at a store outside your cinema hall for INR 20 TO INR 50, get fresh, hot 2 samosas for INR 40 to INR 50 or a good masala dosa for INR 75 TO INR 100. Haven’t y’all pre-boozed before entering an expensive club? (Warning: Drinking is injurious to health).
You have 2 options, to either control yourself and your children from not having such overpriced stuff or can grab that popcorn tub for the additional cinematic experience and enjoy movies at a little additional premium spend.
The choice is of the public who can afford to buy and they are doing so out of choice and not any compulsion. We don’t require such social rebels to tell us the cost of popcorn while he is spending, buying, eating and posting on social the cost might as while burping while doing it.
As a movie lover, what is my problem and what are my 2 cents here? I have my breakfast/snacks, go for an early/evening movie and I am back home for my lunch/dinner. Yes, sometimes on the way to the theatre, I also grab a Pepsi at the Kirana store outside. Cheers to the cinema!
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