Old movies in new avatar, theatres bank on re-releases to boost sales

livemint.com:

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Jab We Met, Mohabbatein and others have been re-released over the past few weeks, as have southern language hits from the 1990s and 2000s. While ticket prices are kept nominal to ensure footfalls, trade experts point to the tactic to keep things going at a time when returns from new titles have hit rock bottom.

For the older hits, theatre owners said it was common to see over 50% occupancy, especially on weekends, and the most popular films collected between ₹20 lakh and ₹30 lakh, an impressive figure considering the titles are available on streaming platforms. Some producers and theatre owners Mint spoke with are thinking of re-releasing older films now, including those before the 1990s to cater to slightly older audiences given the latest response.

“Re-release of retro films during festivals offers younger generations a chance to explore and enjoy timeless movies they might have missed," Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director, PVR INOX Ltd said. “We have always believed that there is an audience beyond traditional movie screenings.

This conviction propels us to experiment with various forms of content in our cinemas, ranging from live screenings of ICC Cricket tournaments, gaming events, and international concerts to significant national events like the Ayodhya Ram Mandir inauguration and the Republic Day parade," Bijli added. During the ICC Men’s World Cup, each match had varying occupancies, but most of screenings of India vs Pakistan, India vs New Zealand semi and the final match were sold out.

Average occupancy was over 73% and the average ticket price (ATP) was ₹580, Bijli pointed out. The screening of the Ram Mandir inauguration and Republic Day events were priced at ₹100, inclusive