At 1,747 screens, India's top multiplex chain, PVR Inox, is looking to go beyond movies and convert its auditoriums for music concerts or standup shows.
First in line is an intellectual property that came to India last year and has been hitting the right note with Indian audiences--- Candlelight Concerts, where amidst the golden glow of thousands of candles, artistes play some of the iconic Bollywood songs, like from the movie Kalakaar's Neele Neele Ambar to Chura Liya from Yaadon Ki Baaraat, paying tributes to legends of music like Kishore Kumar and RD Burman.
The work of international legends like British rock band Queen or Swedish pop group ABBA, too, are part of these melodious events.
Usually performed in auditoriums or hotel venues, Candlelight Concerts are soon coming to cinemas near you. Nayana Bijli, Content Acquisition Director at PVR Inox, says this is the first time when concerts will be performed live in a theatre.
Like father like daughter, Nayana is a huge music buff. The senior Bijli has his own music band and can be heard humming Deva Deva from Brahmastra and many other melodies in a few YouTube videos.
"I am a huge music buff and I was seeing how Candlelight was picking up in India. Looking at the growing popularity of Candlelight, I approached the organisers Fever Labs and Live Your City, which is under Fever and is new to India. I am doing my MBA in New York. So, I attended Candlelight Concerts in the city as well in London. That's when I thought of bringing it to cinemas because our properties are experiential and this would be a great way to give audiences new experiences in our properties. So, we got into a partnership with Live Your City as venue partners, for which we will get only a venue fee. It is their IP and we will be using our space differently for them," Nayana Bijli said.
Beyond movies
As a pilot, the multiplex is holding three concerts in three cities. They are scheduled for the weekend of January 31-February 2, 2025, in Bengaluru, Gurugram, and Mumbai, respectively, featuring iconic movie soundtracks and tribute performances, celebrating legendary artists like Kishore Kumar, RD Burman, Queen, and ABBA.
"We think it (Candlelight Concerts) can be taken to smaller markets. Live Your City has a 30 setlist. With such a wide portfolio, there is potential for scalability in different cities," Bijli said.
The auditoriums selected for the music concerts have a 800-1,200 capacity.
"Knowing the capacity of the auditorium, we have dedicated the number of shows. We have given two shows for the upcoming concerts and these theatres that are assigned for the concerts also have stage space and comfortable seating. That's how we decided on the properties," she said.
While there will be thousands of candles, they will all be LEDs. So, there will be no issue of safety, chuckled Bijli. Candlelight Concerts usually sport 6,000-12,000 LED candles during an event.
"Logistics is brand new for us. We are working with the organisers. However, it is their IP. So, they will be in charge of doing the setup and the programming. They have the data to understand what works in which city. Our service providers will be there to guide but from candle setup to the rest of the arrangements, they will be taking the call," she added.
For now, there are only three concerts that are planned in PVR Inox properties. "It is an ongoing discussion and we are seeing how logistically it will all pan out. Such an event has a different type of audience. So the first three events will dictate how the portfolio will be, going forward," she said.
So far, the booking demand for the Candlelight Concerts has been in line with expectations, said Bijli.
"We have got good traction, according to the organisers. We have done around 30 percent of (concert ticket) sales. The Live Your City Team has conveyed that bulk of sales come in the last two weeks of the show. So, a lot depends on word of mouth," she said.
While they wait to see how the demand pans out, Bijli is looking at curating a different menu for such events.
"In the concert, since it is live, people will not be allowed to take food and beverage (F&B) inside the auditorium. There will be time before and after the performance for F&B. Our plan is to come up with a curated menu which may not include packaged food to not disrupt the performances. We will also check what sort of snacks people will look forward to for such concerts."
Alternate strategy
In the past, alternate content performed live in PVR Inox venues has seen similar traction.
"In 2024, we brought live concerts to the big screen, including Suga Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’ The Movie, Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink], and Seventeen Tour ‘Follow’ Again to, to the soulful One Heart – A.R. Rahman Festival. We saw occupancy rates ranging from 25-35 percent across concerts between April and October. Korean musical concerts like Blackpink and Seventeen recorded the highest engagement. In addition, the live Stand-Up Comedy with Pritish Narula in May 2024 was a standout success, with 100 percent occupancy," she noted.
The company has been closely monitoring the traction for alternate content. From music and comedy shows to releasing old classics again, PVR Inox is filling the gaps when the movie calendar is inconsistent, something that was a huge concern for cinemas across India last year.
Alternate content is something that will be hugely fine-tuned by April 2025, Gautam Dutta, co-CEO of PVR Inox, had said during Q2FY25 earnings call. "There have been about 80-odd re-released films in the first half of FY25 and this number will be upwards of 140-150 by the time the year ends," Dutta had mentioned as re-runs not only drove footfalls but also contributed to box office business at a time when new releases either did not live up to expectations at the box office or there was a dearth of them.
In Q4FY24, when PVR Inox had reported its weakest numbers for FY24, the company had shown confidence in alternate content, especially after recording strong demand for ICC Men’s World Cup 2023, for which it registered an average occupancy of over 70 percent and average ticket price of Rs 580. Important games, like India versus Pakistan, the India-New Zealand semi-final as well as the final match were sold out.
In the past, the exhibitor had also screened the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and the Republic Day event, for which it registered 70 percent and 65 percent occupancy, respectively.
The multiplex chain has been looking to grow the alternate segment, especially amidst slow content flow. However, non-movie business is a small part of the overall revenue contributing around one percent.
"We are looking at alternative ways to use the cinemas. We have looked at comedy. Re-releases, sports, film festivals, we have done other such alternate content. But these are add-ons. Movies are our mainstay. We will not be compromising on our regular (movie) lineup. The music shows (Candlelight Concerts) will be one-hour long, so they will not be disrupting our main schedule much," Bijli said.
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