The SEE Cup

From discounts on beverages to film festivals,Delhi cinemas try various strategies to counter the World Cup fever.

From discounts on beverages to film festivals,Delhi cinemas try various strategies to counter the World Cup fever.

Delhis film enthusiasts seem to have found a different pastime watching Team India battle it out in the World Cup. Footfalls in most cinemas have fallen to 35 per cent,calling for emergency measures by the cinema management. PVR Cinemas,for instance,recently organised a week-long Oscar film festival,hoping that the combined forces of The Kings Speech,127 Hours and Black Swan among others would bring back the audience. The strategy was only partly successful. At other cinemas,the lures range from discounts on beverages to convenient show timings.

Rahul Singh,vice-president,PVR Cinemas,which has seen a drop of 25 per cent in footfalls across all PVR outlets,says that they had also organised a four-day-long Harley Davidson film festival. Classics biker movies like Easy Rider and Motorcycle Diaries were a part of the fare. For a change,Hollywood films were well-received. We got a steady stream of people in the halls, says Singh,who is planning more such festivals.

At Satyam cineplexes,where the audience numbers have reduced by 50 per cent,small incentives like complementary iced tea are being offered for online ticket bookings. Spice Cinemas,Noida,has started privilege cards,offering tickets at concessional rates with special meal combos. We are contemplating more such offers, says Rakesh Warikoo,GM,Spice Cinemas,who have reduced the number of daily shows to 39 from last months 49. Satyam cineplexes,on the other hand,have scrapped their 10.45 pm slot and moved it to 9.45 pm. Unfortunately for the cinemas,these measures have not arrested the dip in the footfalls.

Spice Cinemas fell back on the oft-tried plan increase the number of screenings of hit films. Band Baaja Baaraat which released on December 10 which was being screened once a day till recently,now has three screenings daily. The plan seems to have clicked with Delite cinema,where Anand Rais Rs 17.5 crore venture Tanu Weds Manu accounts for at least 20 per cent footfalls at the two-screen theatre. It has given us sustained collections. We will run it throughout the month of March, says RK Mehrotra,GM.

Sanjay Ghai,COO,Mukta Arts Ltd,which released Yeh Faasley earlier this month,blames the cricket fever for the lack of audiences. Around Holi,there would be two major releases taking place annually. But the World Cup has disrupted this trend and the IPL Season 4 will further aggravate the situation after April 8. Release dates for big-budget films,including director Imtiaz Alis Rockstar,Double Dhamaal starring Ajay Devgn,and Ready starring Salman Khan,too,have been pushed to May and July.

Though cinema owners are contemplating screening of matches,they are not too excited about it. PVR,for instance,was sceptical about screening World Cup matches initially,but eventually decided to try it. At the screening of the India vs England match on February 27,one auditorium had a cricket-themed décor,as well as girls with pom-poms and Anand Raaj Anand crooning film numbers. The plan worked almost 90 per cent seats were booked. DT cinemas,Vasant Kunj,has conditionally agreed to screen matches,provided India makes it to the quarter-finals. We are scouting for bookings for match screenings during the quarter-final matches. But this will only bring temporary relief, says Amit Shah,chief programming manager,DT cinemas,who is drafting meal combo offers for the screenings.

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Last week saw only one release,Hollywoods World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles,a sci-fi film that is unlikely to have a mass- appeal. One will have to wait till the first week of April when the Abhishek Bachchan-starrer Game and Anees Bazmees Thank You release to see the crowds back in the cinemas, says Ghai. Until then,theres always the Boys in Blue.