Cinema is calling and more aggressively than ever before. Weekday movie-going is the latest mantra in Bangalore and multiplexes are the primary stimulants.
Walk into any multiplex in Bangalore at 9:30 am on a weekday. Don’t be surprised to witness a jaw-dropping queue, snaking up to the ticket counter. Even if you land there at 9 am when the ticket counter opens, reconsider the thought, because a blockbuster movie pulls a crowd as early as 8 am on a weekday!
City centric
Multiplex authorities say this is a trend restricted to Bangalore. Is it the early party deadline? Is it the high income? Is it lack of other recreational hotspots? How did cinema become the hottest recreation in Bangalore?
Film fanatic Akash Agarwal says, “Telebooking and internet booking allows us to get tickets on weekdays. It’s great to catch a movie after a tiring day. Multiplexes also give us more options, making them better than single screen theatres.”
Reiterating his viewpoint, movie-goer Prerna Khanna adds, “Of course, the 11:30 pm deadline drives many of us to the movies. We lounge in a pub till 9:30 pm and then hit a late-night show. It has become a great place for friends to hang out. We can be socially active at least till 12:30 am!”

Weekdays are full
Cineaste Rishika finds it annoying to see theatres packed during weekdays. “Single screens used to accommodate more people. So, there was some chance of getting tickets on a weekday. It’s irritating to see multiplexes always sold out, even for late night shows! More multiplexes must come up and there should be at least 10 to 15 shows of a good movie daily, like in Mumbai and Delhi,” she suggests.
Amitabh Bachchan starrer ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’, set to release this Friday, got sold out last week at Inox. Mohit Bhargava, regional GM of Inox, reveals that on a weekday, a decent queue with a minimum of 10 people, starts at 8.30 am and a popular movie pulls a crowd at 8 am.
He witnessed the longest queue during ‘Dhoom 2’ with 500 people waiting in line! Thursday’s queue for Rajnikanth starrer Sivaji: The Boss, started swelling from 7:30 am; by 8:30 am, the parking lot was full and the queue had grown to the floor below!
He explains, “There is no difference between the numbers on weekdays and weekends. Old theatres are shutting down giving way to multiplexes. Students receive higher pocket money. Work timings vary in Bangalore tremendously. Not everyone works in the morning. So, they want to use the time available. Kitty parties today include a movie, apart from dining out. There has been a shift in people’s thinking.”
Mohit adds that the weekend numbers are identical in every city. But the weekday story is completely different here. Weekday occupancy is 80 per cent in Bangalore, compared to 55 per cent elsewhere.
Rohit Sharma of PVR says that even their 11 screens sometimes fall short. The 15 ticket counters have about five people each on a weekday at 9 am. Rohit gives some interesting statistics to explain the film fever.
“The walk-ins per day to buy tickets is about 7,000 customers and goes up to 10,000 during the weekend. We sell around 600 burgers everyday. We opened in November 2004 and we have already crossed four million customers. People are choosing movie halls to celebrate birthday parties and have kitty parties. The movie-going trend is high only in Bangalore and the combination of regional, Hindi and English languages act as a catalyst,” says Rohit.

Not the same
However, single screen theatres do not share the same story. Abhishek Sood, co-ordinator, Rex theatre, says, “The houseful weekday trend is restricted to multiplexes. We have 707 seats compared to 200 odd seats in a multiplex audi. So occupancy is more. We do pretty well on weekdays but without any frenzy at the ticket counter.” So, are the multiplexes planning on something to accommodate more film fanatics? Rohit says, “Unlike in Mumbai and Delhi, theatres in Bangalore have a 10 pm deadline for the last show”. 
“Otherwise we could have done shows later at night. To ease long queues at counters, we sell tickets at kiosks, through internet and home delivery in the City. We are planning more projects next year.”
The story is similar at Inox too. “We have started internet booking, SMS booking, home delivery and ticket counters at various Spice outlets. We also want to tie-up with more outlets. We are coming up with a multiplex in Jayanagar, followed by Malleswaram next year,” says Mohit.
The scene was summed up aptly by Rohit, “Every five years Bangalore gets a new title — Pensioner’s Paradise, Garden City, IT City, Cosmo Hub and now Movie Paradise.” Popcorn anyone?