This Friday it is time for a gallery of diverse releases. Abhishek Kapoor’s Azaad introduces two newcomers Rasha Thadani and Aaman Devgan, both torchbearers of a distinguished legacy, there is also the re-release of Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya on Friday.
Ticket prices on the day of release of the above films will be Rs 99 across the board as January 17 is declared Cinema Lovers Day.
Producer and trade analyst Girish Johar says the boxoffice performance of the new releases is bound to benefit from the slashed ticket prices. “Definitely. The endeavour of the industry and forthcoming releases is to ensure that movie watching becomes more comfortable for the audiences. Once it becomes pocket-friendly, enticing the audiences with the content is the next logical step. More they watch, more topical it becomes and thereafter accordingly it WOM will spread. Hoping WOM will be positive, will lead to attract larger set of audience base. In a nutshell, we need to reinstate the habit of watching films back. Rather, films being an event watch, we need to get the habit of watching films back, that is our target.”
However Roshan Singh an eminent film exhibitor from Bihar sees no wisdom in slashing ticket rates. “It sends out the wrong signal. People become suspicious that the film is not good. Better, if you want to help the slump in ticket sales, to introduce the slashed rates post weekend.”
Adds trade analyst Atul Mohan, “Cinema Lovers Day is a great initiative to attract audiences, but ultimately, it all boils down to the content. If a film is good, it generates strong word-of-mouth and performs well. If not, no discount or offer can save it. This Friday, we also have some repeat-run films releasing on Cinema Lovers Day and it wouldn’t be surprising if they outshine the new releases. For instance, Pushpa 2 is coming with an extended version, which I believe will be a top choice for many. We recently saw a film offering tickets at Rs. 99, but it still failed at the box office, proving that content is king.”
