Theatres adopt variable pricing strategies to draw crowds

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Article 370 that benefited from such strategies. Over the past weekend, Sidharth Malhotra-starrer Yodha operated with a ‘buy one, get one ticket’ offer while on Cinema Lover’s Day on 23 February, tickets were available at a discounted price of ₹99, including for premium formats, except for southern states, excluding Karnataka. Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies was priced at ₹100 on 8 March to mark International Women’s Day.

Meanwhile on Monday, PVR INOX Ltd launched the second edition of its monthly cinema subscription service, Passport that allows subscribers to watch up to four movies per month for ₹349 from Mondays to Thursdays. Premium formats, like IMAX, P[XL], ICE, ScreenX, MX4D or 4DX, can be availed by paying an additional fee of ₹150 over and above the Passport coupon. However, this feature would not be available in south Indian markets.

“We employ a strategic approach to promotional pricing during off-peak times targeting specific audience segments such as students, homemakers and senior citizens to boost footfalls. It's crucial to recognize that this pricing strategy functions as a short-term method to attract audiences to theatres," Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director, PVR INOX Ltd said. “Its effectiveness lies in its role as an unexpected element that builds anticipation throughout the promotional period, rather than serving as a sustainable long-term approach," Bijli added.