Data makes it very clear and consistent that Bollywood films have the biggest pull and any
big film bears a mesmerising potential of brow-sweating opening near mark Rs
100 crore weekend. Handful films like ‘Bahubali’ and ‘BajiraoMastani’ has
proved the potential of Indian films, raised the bar exponentially in terms of
art, narrative and techniques. Any Rs 100 crore business doesn’t wonder us
anymore! But the question remains why since ‘Ghazini’ (2008)—the first Rs 100
core film, and ‘3idiots’ (2009)—first ever 200 crore film, that are succeeded
by many nudging the other nascently , but the overall collection of any Bollywood
film hasn’t quadruple in over a decade. But, no wonder if the demand-supply
ratio is buoyed, a star-studded Bollywood blockbuster can bet a Rs 500 crore
opening whereas any other Hindi film will make above Rs 100 crore on the first
day.
Where are we falling short? The whole theatrical business of an
ambitious release is limited to 2350 theatres (not screens) across North, East,
West India and scantily in Seven Sisters (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura). There are around 750 multiplexes and
1600 single screen theatres combined, in these regions. When it comes to
collection, 85% of it comes from multiplexes and rest 15% from single screens.
There are single screens at almost every city but the foot fall
have fallen drastically. Most of the single screens are old and shabby due to
lack of maintenance and upgradation and they fail to meet the urban amusements
of a cafegoers; neither safe, nor comfortable to draw enough audience. Also, as
cities have expanded it started squeezing a theatre with markets and colonies
growing almost upon it and these have become congested surrounded by grimy
environment, with narrow roads and almost no parking lots. Oh-so multiplexes
have become priority for the cultured class of the society. Hence, the business
from the single screen theatres are to little avail.
The multiplexes are so unevenly distributed in every States that
more than half of the population can never be to one. Nor they prefer to go to
a single screen so largely under the folds of proliferating pirated
availability, ethical share of mass wait for the satellite release.
Till now it was all about well-ordered multiplexes run by chains
like INOX, PVR, CARNIVAL, CINEPOLIS and BIG CINEMAS. Down the line these chains
have redressed some best-fit single screen theatres as multiplexes and
complexes its definition and this mix and match has muddled the numbers. So
all-inclusive Bombay Circuit has 312 multiplexes, North Karnataka (part of
Bombay Circuit) has four, Delhi and UP combined has 142, East Punjab has 149,
Rajasthan 43, Central India 34, Central Province has 55, Mysore has 42, Tamil
Nadu 30, Kerala has 17, Nizam has 92, West Bengal has 54, Bihar has 21, Assam
has 12, Odisha has 18: so the total number stands 1025 multiplexes, that mint
money for Hindi movies.
I steer clear South India from the count of multiplexes as
that’s not the market for Hindi movies. However, in Andhra Pradesh there are
3000 theatres for Telegu films and Tamil Nadu has 1800 theatres for Tamil films.
Aghast! Hindi film market in India stand no match to it till now.
The exponents of film trade insist that the number of
multiplexes ought to multiply. If we go by the ratio of population to
multiplexes, we see places like Sri Gandhinagar has only 1 multiplex for its
entire population of 2, 24, 733 and Patna also has 1 for its entire population
of 16,83,200. But places like Dehradun and Ranchi has seven multiplexes for its
population of 7,14,223 and 11,26,741 respectively. Should there be at least one
multiplex for every 1,50000 people then big State like UP (population
19,95,81,477 crore) that has 80 multiplexes need another 1,251, Bihar
(population of 10,38,04,637) that has 9 true multiplexes needs another around
683, West Bengal (population 9,13,47,736) that has 35 true multiplexes require
574, Rajasthan (population 6,11,30,704) has 42 true multiplexes but needs
another 336, Maharashtra (population 11,23,72,972) has 219 and trailing far
behind the requirement of 749. Over all India (population of 1,21,49,00,564)
require around 8099 multiplexes where we have only 1025, whereas like the USA
has 10000 theatres for its 33core population and China has 50000 theatres for
population close to us. (Populations mentioned are according to census 2011)
If in these 750 multiplexes a film can make Rs 40 crore with
8000 multiplexes a film can make around Rs 400 crore opening and weekend
collection can touch Rs 1000 crore then the whole week collection would be
around Rs 1600 crore and the life time collection of a film is just double the
first weekend collection so it would be nothing less than Rs 2000 crore. And if
it’s a blockbuster it would be no less than Rs 4000 crore. We have great films,
one of the biggest populations of the world but not enough means to reach them.
When multiplexes arrived in 2009, the ticket price was Rs 150
and now some of the multiplex tickets, mostly the Director’s Cut shows are
charged upto Rs 2400 per ticket to make revenue from the film.
Of
course, the trade is tricky but it will be difficult for anyone to argue that
it’s not impossible for a Bollywood film to actually make a life time business
about Rs 1000 crore or beyond.
