India adds movie screens after five years, Hindi markets lead the rise
For the first time in five years, the number of movie screens across the country saw a small rise in 2023, with Hindi-speaking markets leading the growth, followed by the East and the South, according to an industry report.
Data from the latest Ficci-EY media and entertainment industry report shows that the number of cinema screens in Hindi-speaking markets rose 6% in 2023, while those in the East rose 4%. Southern markets, in contrast, saw a 2% increase in screens.
To be sure, south India has 47% of all screens in the country, so even a lower rise in percentage terms might mean a higher rise in the absolute number of screens. As of 2023, south India—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala—had 4,573 cinema screens, while the rest of the country had 5,169, according to the Ficci-EY report.
Significantly, following the mayhem wrought by the covid-19 pandemic on moviegoing, 2023 marked a milestone in terms of the number of screens finally surpassing 2018 levels, the report said. According to industry estimates, about 1,500-2,000 theatres, especially single screens, had shut shop across the country during the pandemic.
India’s lopsided movie screen expansion is deeply slanted towards Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region), parts of Maharashtra, especially Mumbai, and cities such as Bengaluru that have a tradition of multilingual viewing. On the other hand, states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and the North-East remain relatively screen dark.
Because there are fewer theatres in these states, films get only limited showcasing and returns are minimal. Many films, especially small-budget ones, are not able to release there when there aren’t
screens available or producers don't want to spend enough on marketing and distribution in these markets.
According to the Ficci-EY report, Maharashtra had 1,044 screens as of 2023, while the figure had touched 901 in Karnataka and 1,103 in Andhra Pradesh. In contrast, Bihar, Jharkenough hand and Orissa have 149, 83 and 162 screens, respectively.
While the lack of government incentives and disconnect of the audiences in small towns with contemporary movie themes are driving this skew in theatrical viewing, another major factor is expensive real estate, according to trade experts.
Cinema operators across the country agree that real estate prices have skyrocketed even in India’s smallest towns and are the biggest hindrance in building malls, which is where most major
Maharashtra had 1,044 screens as of 2023, while the figure touched 901 in Karnataka and 1,103 in Andhra Pradesh
multiplexes would like to house their properties.
“The multiplex expansion in India coincided with the growth of malls since the early 2000s; in cities that had better infrastructure, policies, tax incentives and consumer appetite, the growth of malls and therefore, multiplexes within them started rapidly,” Gautam Jain, partner at media consulting firm Ormax had said in a recent interview. “But we now see a saturation of multiplexes in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and so on.”
Also, due to the higher ticket prices in these halls, more films were made targeting the multiplex audience in big cities. Case in point being slice-of-life dramas such as Badhaai Ho, Stree, Bareilly Ki Barfi and so on, starring the likes of Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao and others, which had set the cash registers ringing when released before the pandemic.
As the content was unrelatable, these films sank in tier-II cities and smaller towns, signifying fewer opportunities for even existing theatres in these markets. This explains the sluggish growth of the theatrical business and multiplexes in the markets, Jain had explained.