Going beyond just screens, multiplex chain PVR INOX is reimagining cinemas as social spaces, blending movies, design and lifestyle into one curated experience. Its latest, a six-screen luxury multiplex in Pitampura in Delhi, offers a nail bar, gaming arena, lounge, perfumery corner and cafe. Speaking with Sugandha Mukherjee, Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director, PVR INOX, talks about the premiumisation push, surge in re-releases, expansion, ticket pricing, and what to look forward to in 2026. Edited excerpts:
Given how cinema-going is now largely for an experience rather than an imperative, thanks to OTT, is your thrust more on differentiated offerings like Cinemagic, or are you equally focused on mass-market formats?
Both, because India is such a large and disparate market. When we plan a cinema, we keep the location and demographics in mind. We have different products for metros, small towns, state capitals, and even within cities. So it’s never one-size-fits-all.
Even though OTT is prevalent, cinema-going is not at all obsolete. We had 130 million people last year in our halls, and that was a suboptimal, muted year. The national average is still 3-4 cinema visits a year. The perception differs from reality. We are competing not with OTT, but with people’s time. Every leisure activity competes with time today.
Bijli on building customer centric ecosystems
In Bengaluru, you have a full dining space, and in Delhi there are nail salons in cinemas. You are building a full ecosystem to attract audiences. What more can we expect?
The primary focus is always the cinema offering, comfortable seating, sound and projection, 4K, laser projectors. We can’t compromise on the auditorium experience. Even screens are evolving from digital to LEDs. Beyond that come the frills. Innovation is exciting for us. Some things work, some don’t. The core takes up 70-80% of our space and time, but the remaining 10-20% is where we innovate and experiment to see what resonates with audiences.
Over the last year, we’ve been reimagining our cinema spaces as hangout zones for youngsters. We have AI games, pool tables, salons, a nail bar, special beverage counters, and we will keep doing that.
Bijli on performance in 2025
How has 2025 been for you, and how do you see business in the coming year?
This year’s hits included Chhava (Rs 600 crore), Saiyyara (Rs 500 crore), and War 2 in August, which underperformed expectations but still did Rs 250 crore. We had sleeper hits like Bhool Chook Maaf at Rs 60-65 crore. We are also not dependent on one language. Kantara did Rs 500 crore. The Conjuring did Rs 100 crore. Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, Superman all did Rs 50-100 crore. F1, based on a niche sport, did Rs 100 crore.
We are very excited for 2026, anticipating Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Love and War, the mega-budget Ramayan (Rs 1,000 crore) for Diwali, Alpha from the Spy Universe, Lahore, Toxic and a strong regional and international slate. People are time-poor now, so to bring them to a cinema, we need to offer an incredible product and experience.
Sports screenings are becoming an alternate revenue source. What other avenues are you exploring?
We’ve experimented a lot with sports such as cricket, Wimbledon and football. We screened Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, K-pop concerts. We also have an alternate programming cell that focuses on content beyond movies. You have to keep pushing the envelope.
Re-releases have surged. How many re-released titles did PVR showcase in 2025? What incremental revenue or occupancy lift have you seen with this strategy?
We have had 101 re-releases between April and October this year. Re-releases contribute 1-2% of revenues, which is a small number but one that’s growing. Some films surprise us, like Rockstar, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Laila Majnu all did around Rs 10 crore. It’s now a permanent alternative programming category for us.
How many screens are you looking to add next year? Any more consolidation or takeovers after INOX?
We aim to open 100 screens by the end of the financial year. We have opened about 60 already. Another 40 are expected in a mix of all kinds of markets. We are expanding in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, in places like Hyderabad, Leh, Hubli, Jabalpur, Agra. Our strategy is to open everywhere with strong cinema-going propensity.
As for more takeovers, there are no such plans as of now.
Pricing has been a major issue for cinemas, with social media full of posts comparing OTT subscriptions with a single cinema experience. And, premium formats obviously are priced even higher. Is there an internal debate on making pricing more affordable for the masses?
We don’t have blinkers on and we are very aware of customer feedback. We have dynamic pricing, and also offers such as Saver Tuesdays (Rs 92–140 tickets nationwide), Friday/Saturday buy-1-get-1, and multiple app-based offers. There are promotions running at any given time. Our average ticket price is Rs 260 nationwide. But input costs on wages, real estate, utilities, technology are rising. So we must balance affordability with sustainability for the business, while offering the best ambience, service and product at the same time.
