How Dhurandhar turned popcorn into profits for PVR INOX, other multiplexes

It wasn’t just the box office that exploded during Dhurandhar’s theatrical run — the popcorn counters did too.

“The food and beverage sale during Dhurandhar’s run was mind-blowing,” PVR INOX CEO Gautam Dutta told Moneycontrol. “We did one of our maximum food sales during Dhurandhar.”

What caught the country’s largest multiplex chain off guard wasn’t a marketing hack or AI-driven upsell. It was the film’s duration. The four-hour-long spy thriller had its intermission after two hours — and audiences were ravenous.

“We didn’t understand at first why our Spend Per Head (SPH) had shot up. After four or five shows, we realised — people were famished. They just wanted to go out and eat,” Dutta said.

PVR INOX’s SPH numbers surged to nearly Rs 190, and on weekend evening shows, even crossed Rs 200 — levels the company hadn’t seen before. The impact was strong enough to reverse a sluggish start to the quarter.

Turning around a slow F&B run

The December quarter began on a weaker note for food counters. A small Gujarati film, Lalo, unexpectedly drove strong footfalls in November, drawing around 13–14 lakh viewers at PVR INOX alone. However, the audience profile — largely older patrons — meant limited spending on popcorn, nachos and beverages, dragging down SPH.

“We were happy with the footfall, but what was happening to SPH was carnage,” Dutta admitted.

Enter Dhurandhar — followed closely by Avatar, another long-format film — and the equation flipped.

“We were trending slightly lower than last year on SPH until Dhurandhar came. Then within 20 days, everything changed. We ended the year 5% higher than last year,” Dutta said.

For the December quarter of FY26, PVR INOX’s F&B spend per head rose to Rs 146 from Rs 140 a year earlier. Food and beverage revenues climbed 14% to Rs 593.8 crore compared to Rs 520.9 crore in Q3 FY25.

At the box office, the film was equally dominant. Of the Rs 844 crore that Dhurandhar earned by December 31, 2025, PVR INOX’s share stood at Rs 328 crore. The film has since crossed Rs 1,000 crore domestically and Rs 1,300 crore worldwide, with the sequel slated for release during Eid on March 19.

Snack sales hit record highs

The impact wasn’t limited to one chain.

Miraj Cinemas recorded Rs 13 crore in F&B sales during the film’s run — its highest in the December quarter. Managing Director Bhuvnesh Mendiratta said the nearly four-hour runtime boosted cravings.

“The movie was captivating, and with such a long duration, people naturally purchased more food and beverages. Cola and popcorn were the biggest sellers,” he said, adding that the highest F&B revenues came from Kolkata, Mumbai, Jaipur and Gurugram.

Roongta Cinemas echoed similar trends. CEO Sanjay Barjatya said the chain clocked around Rs 65 lakh in gross F&B collections across its four cinemas in December, marking peak quarterly performance.

While October and November each contributed around 26% to quarterly F&B sales, December accounted for 48% — a 22% surge above the average, driven primarily by Dhurandhar.

“Unlike previous hits that drew crowds but didn’t convert into snack sales, Dhurandhar maintained a healthy footfall-to-F&B ratio from the outset,” Barjatya said. Popcorn remained the highest-selling item, followed by Pepsi, with “nervous or excited snacking” common during the high-octane thriller. Surat led Roongta’s portfolio in F&B contribution, followed by Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar and Adipur.

A Lesson in runtime economics

While blockbuster films are traditionally measured by box office collections, Dhurandhar proved that runtime and audience engagement can significantly influence ancillary revenues.

For multiplex chains emerging from a mixed start to the quarter, the four-hour thriller didn’t just deliver ticket sales — it delivered one of the strongest snack quarters in recent memory.