Hindi markets add more cinema theatres in 2023, with a 6% rise
movie screen expansion is deeply slanted towards Delhi NCR (National Capital Region), parts of Maharashtra, especially Mumbai, and cities like Bengaluru that have a tradition of multilingual viewing. On the other hand, states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and the northeast remain relatively screen dark. Because there are a fewer theatres in these states, films get only limited showcasing and returns are minimal.
Many films, especially small-budget ones, are not able to release there when there aren’t enough screens available. According to the Ficci EY report, Maharashtra had 1,044 screens as of 2023, while the figure had touched 901 in Karnataka and 1,103 in Andhra Pradesh. In contrast, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa have 149, 83 and 162 screens, respectively.
While lack of government incentives and disconnect of the audiences in small towns with contemporary movie themes are driving this skew in theatrical viewing, another major factor is expensive real estate, according to trade experts. Cinema operators across the country agree that real estate prices have skyrocketed even in India’s smallest towns and are the biggest hindrance in building malls, which is where most major multiplexes would like to house their properties. “The multiplex expansion in India coincided with the growth of malls since the early 2000s.
In cities that had better infrastructure, policies, tax incentives and consumer appetite, the growth of malls and therefore, multiplexes within them started rapidly. But we now see a saturation of multiplexes in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and so on," Gautam Jain, partner at media consulting firm Ormax had said in a recent interview. Also, due to the higher ticket prices in these
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