WAVES 2025: Aamir Khan on lack of theatres in India: "We have very few theatres for the size of the country"

He went on to highlight the significant disparity between the number of film theatres in India and its vast population, especially when compared to other countries.

Aamir Khan graced the Day 2 the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES) 2025 on May 2 as one of the speakers and discussed about lack of theatres in India.

During his session titled 'Studios of the future: Putting India on World Studio Map' at the WAVES Summit 2025 on May 2, actor-producer Aamir Khan discussed the issue of only fewer theatres available in India. "I have always believed that we have very few theatres for the size of the country and the number of people living in India."

He went on to highlight the significant disparity between the number of film theatres in India and its vast population, especially when compared to other countries. "In India, we have around 10,000 screens, and in the US, which is one-third of our population, they have 40,000 screens and China has 90,000 screens. And even in this, 10,000, half are in the South and half in the rest of the country. So, for a Hindi film, you have a maximum of 5,000 screens," Aamir said.

"Our biggest hits over the years, no matter what language, have had a theatrical footfall of three crore people. That's only 2 per cent of our entire population," the Lal Singh Chaddha actor added.

Aamir also emphasised on more investments to build more theatres in the country. "India has massive potential, but it can only be realised if there are enough points of sale, in this case, cinema halls, for people to access and enjoy films legally and conveniently. If you don't, then I just can't watch the film. I can hear about it," he said.

Aamir further discussed the availability of various means like OTT to consume entertainment these days. "Films now have multiple viewing options, from theatre to OTTs. The business model for the film industry is not appropriate as it is killing the business. I have always believed that in India, we have very few theatres compared to our population and size. It is a very funny business model and that's why films are not doing well anymore.”

Aamir Khan was also spotted at the venue ahead of his sessions, accompanied by producer Ritesh Sidhwani and PVR INOX founder Ajay Bijli.

Several celebrities of the entertainment industry attended and spoke on various issues on day 1 of WAVES 2025 held on May 1 at Jio World Centre in Mumbai. The list of stars include Rajnikanth, Hema Malini, Chiranjeevi, Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Allu Arjun, and any more.

Other sessions of the day will be featuring Bollywood celebrities including Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor among others.