New Delhi: The largest movie theatre chain in India, PVR INOX Limited, said on Saturday that it would begin selling a membership pass called the “PVR INOX Passport” to encourage frequent moviegoing. For a set sum each month, subscribers will get access to a selection of 10 movies each month.
Beginning October 16th, one may purchase their monthly subscription pass. The regular price of this service is Rs. 699 per month.
The subscription pass is valid from Monday through Thursday; however, it cannot be used for IMAX, Gold, LUXE, or Director’s Cut.
To better understand their consumers, PVR INOX Ltd has been actively communicating with them, as stated by co-CEO Gautam Dutta.
The public has a preference for going to the movies and theatre. However, they will not be successful in taking it all. Consumers are constantly categorising movies into event flicks and TV/iPad/mobile categories, he said.
“So in their mind, ‘Pathaan’, ‘Jawan’, ‘Salaar’, ‘Leo’, are some of the big cinema films. And then there are certain films that they really want to watch but don’t mind waiting for them a little longer… So when we probed and said, ‘why can’t you come to a cinema hall every week?’ They said it becomes expensive,” he told PTI.
He said that this development is harmful to films made on a small budget. The trend toward larger and larger event films has led to the decline of smaller films.
There has been a steady increase in the scale of recent event films. Midsize films, especially the smaller ones, are feeling the pressure. It needs to have close to roughly 13 to 16 pictures, which are out every week, so it needs some type of product that works with consumer emotion to attract people back into the theatre, a lot more, and which would promote excellent smaller films.
PVR INOX was the first to respond to consumers’ worries by lowering the pricing of food and drink by 40%.
The movie theatre has announced new meal deals beginning at Rs 99 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and endless popcorn refills on the weekends.
Dutta said that the movie subscription scheme was another constructive move.
He believed that because of this action, production of and interest in movies would increase. “And after some time, you will create this habit of consumers coming back to the cinema. So it’s really a momentum shifter, not just a price promotion,” he added.
He said that the corporation is aiming at students, housewives, and senior citizens with the promotion.
“It’s not (for) the time-poor and cash-rich people. It’s the other way around. Time-rich and cash-poor are my target audience,” he said.
