1 day Ago
On Friday, January 17, PVR INOX Cinemas, India's largest and most premium cinema exhibitor, introduced Cinema Lovers Day, offering tickets at just Rs. 112 across all its theaters nationwide. The initiative was designed to lure audiences back into theaters, but the outcome was far from successful.
The day turned out to be a disaster for new releases, with Azaad collecting only Rs. 1.4 crore and Emergency faring slightly better at Rs.
2 crore. The failure of Cinema Lovers Day highlights a crucial reality: when content fails to excite viewers, even low-ticket prices cannot salvage the situation. The dwindling footfalls in cinemas across India further prove that such initiatives are mere band-aid solutions rather than long-term remedies.
All India footfalls across all languages have witnessed fluctuations over the years, with a peak in 2019 at 103 crore admissions, before experiencing a sharp decline due to the pandemic. In 2015, total footfalls stood at 90.3 crore, slightly decreasing to 90.
1 crore in 2016 before rising to 101 crore in 2017. The numbers dipped slightly to 94.5 crore in 2018, only to reach an all-time high of 103 crore in 2019.
However, post-pandemic, footfalls dropped significantly to 89.2 crore in 2022, showing some recovery at 94.3 crore in 2023, before falling again to 88.
3 crore in 2024, the lowest in the past decade. Focusing on Hindi films alone, footfalls have similarly followed a fluctuating trend. In 2015, Bollywood films recorded 30 crore admissions, slightly dropping to 29.
4 crore in 2016, before recovering to 30.1 crore in 2017 and 31.6 crore in 2018.
The peak was reached in 2019 with 34.1 crore footfalls, after which the pandemic had a devastating impact, plummeting footfalls to just 18.9 crore in 2022.
Although there was a partial recovery in 2023 with 27.5 crore admissions, the numbers fell again in 2024 to 23 crore, highlighting a continued struggle for Bollywood in regaining its pre-pandemic audience. These figures confirm that the Indian audience's enthusiasm for theatrical releases has waned, and Cinema Lovers Day is an ineffective gimmick that does little to reverse this trend.
The National Cinema Day was launched in 2022 to reignite the audience's interest in theaters post-pandemic. However, while it remains an annual affair, multiplexes have frequently resorted to Cinema Lovers Day during dry periods to artificially boost collections. The strategy is clear: it is rarely announced when a highly anticipated tentpole film is released but is instead used to prop up lackluster films or boost the fading collections of big-budget releases that are on their last legs.
A History of National Cinema Day & Cinema Lovers Day A closer look at previous instances of these discount days provides insights into their limited success and the clear pattern of their strategic placement. 1. National Cinema Day 2022 (September 23) - Rs.
75 Tickets Brahmastra saw a 226% jump in collections from Rs. 2.7 cr.
(Sept 22) to Rs. 8.8 cr.
(Sept 23), continuing strong over the weekend. Chup had a decent opening at Rs. 3.
06 cr., but dropped to Rs. 2.
07 cr. and Rs. 2.
25 cr. on subsequent days. Dhokha: Round D Corner opened at Rs.
1.25 cr. but dropped to Rs.
0.50 cr. and Rs.
0.65 cr. 2.
Cinema Lovers Day 2023 (January 20) - Rs. 99 Tickets The impact was minimal as Pathaan was about to release on January 25. Akhanda 's Hindi version released the same day but flopped.
Ved and Avatar: The Way of Water saw minor jumps. 3. National Cinema Day 2023 (October 13) - Rs.
99 Tickets Jawan (6th Friday) saw a massive 523% jump. Fukrey 3 (3rd Friday) jumped 386%. Mission Raniganj (2nd Friday) gained 196%.
Thank You for Coming and Dha Dhak saw limited impact. 4. 1st Cinema Lovers Day 2024 (February 23) - Rs.
99 Tickets Article 370 saw strong jumps, proving that word-of-mouth is still key. Crakk opened at Rs. 4 cr.
but fell quickly. Fighter saw a minor 33% jump. 5.
2nd Cinema Lovers Day 2024 (May 31) - Rs. 99 Tickets Mr & Mrs Mahi opened strong but dropped soon after. Savi and Srikanth saw minor jumps but failed to sustain.
6. 3rd Cinema Lovers Day 2024 (August 9) - Rs. 99 Tickets It Ends With Us benefitted due to strong word-of-mouth.
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha and Ulajh saw negligible growth. 7. National Cinema Day 2024 (September 20) - Rs.
99 Tickets Yudhra saw an initial boost but fell sharply. Stree 2 saw an almost 200% jump. Tumbbad (2nd Friday) had a 130% boost.
8. 4th Cinema Lovers Day 2024 (November 29) - Rs. 99 Tickets Moana 2 had a strong debut at Rs.
2.6 cr. The Sabarmati Report grew by 117%.
Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 jumped by 151%. 9. 1st Cinema Lovers Day 2025 (January 17) - Rs.
99 Tickets The impact was minimal, with Azaad and Emergency showing underwhelming results. The data reveals that Cinema Lovers Day, much like National Cinema Day, is merely a superficial attempt to attract audiences rather than a genuine effort to revive footfalls. The initiative often fails when the films in theaters do not excite audiences, the novelty of discounted tickets wears off and Theaters strategically place the day to support struggling films rather than genuinely celebrate cinema.
The solution to declining footfalls lies not in temporary discounts but in consistently delivering compelling cinematic experiences. Until then, Cinema Lovers Day will remain a hollow gesture with little impact and an illusion - cheap tickets for movies no one wants to watch. Also Read: Azaad’s failure highlights Bollywood’s new reality: Star kids can no longer rely on lineage alone; it has to be content over connections More Pages: Azaad Box Office Collection , Azaad Movie Review BOLLYWOOD NEWS - LIVE UPDATES Catch us for latest Bollywood News , New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection , New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi , Entertainment News , Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2025 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.
.
