Audience upbeat about cinemas, 41% respondents plan to visit theatres in next 60 days: Survey

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More movies on the big screen and a drop in COVID-19 cases are resulting in strong positive sentiment among moviegoers in India.

According to a survey conducted in March this year by LocalCircles, a community social media platform, 25 percent of respondents visited a cinema hall or a multiplex to watch a movie in the last 60 days. This marks over 75 percent increase in the percentage of people who have been to a cinema hall last year.

LocalCircles had conducted a survey in December 2021 also,  which revealed that only 14 percent of citizens had visited a cinema hall once or more in the previous 60 days.

This year's survey was conducted amid 19,000 respondents across 311 districts in India with 62 percent of respondents being men and 38 percent women. While 44 percent respondents were from tier 1 cities, 33 percent were from tier 2, and 23 percent of respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts.

The survey also noted that 41 percent of citizens say they will go to a cinema hall or a multiplex to watch a movie in the next 60 days, marking a 3X  increase in the percentage of people that plan to visit a cinema hall.

In the 2021 survey, 14 percent citizens had expressed plans to visit a cinema hall once or more in the coming 60 days.

The positive sentiment amid moviegoers can be seen for new releases like small venture The Kashmir Files which has witnessed footfalls similar to pre-pandemic levels, with theatres having to increase the number of daily shows to accommodate demand.

Multiplexes across the country have reported the fastest recovery after the third COVID wave. Industry experts believe that a strong pipeline of Bollywood releases over the rest of the year will continue to ensure strong footfalls. It is estimated that there are 22 Bollywood films that are due to be released in 2022 which have the potential to cross Rs 100 crore at the box office.

The first half of FY23 will be the strongest historically because the content pipeline is so heavy, and this is factoring in only large films, say analysts.

If there are surprises from mid-size films like Gangubai Kathiawadi and small films like The Kashmir Files, the film industry could see stronger growth, higher than historic numbers. For PVR and INOX, 30 percent growth is expected in Q1 of FY23 from Q1 of FY20.