In March this year, filmmaker Subhash Ghai, putting a photo of an almost empty theatre on his Instagram with a post titled, ‘Why is Bollywood bleeding today?’ His answer? ‘Because of the heavy cost to watch a film in cinema halls. Cinema lovers have stopped going to theatres to experience a collective movie-watching experience on the big screen.’ Ghai also proposed a solution to the issue, stating that Bollywood, along with state governments, should formulate a rule to cap 30 per cent of cinema hall tickets at affordable prices, similar to the ‘economy class’ tickets in Tamil Nadu.
And Ghai isn’t the only filmi heavyweight saying this. At the recently concluded WAVES 2025, both Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan spoke about how prices of movie tickets should be reduced, especially in smaller towns, so that the footfall in movie theatres can go up again. SRK had also said how ‘concentration of multiplexes in metropolitan cities limits accessibility and drives up ticket prices, discouraging wider viewership.’
These comments come at a time when the film industry is struggling, grappling with the preference of the audience to see movies on OTT, which promises convenience and affordability.
Add to the ticket prices, there is the food prices in the multiplexes—especially the fan-favourite popcorn, which some suspect may have Gold ETFs attached with them, considering its price.
So, the question of the hour is: ‘Have movie halls become a place for the elite?’ We asked the same to some cinema personalities and experts, and this is what they told The Free Press Journal.
Arif Zakaria |
Arif Zakaria (Actor)
I don’t subscribe to the thought of cinema halls being a place for the elite. Tickets at non-prime hours are affordable, besides the input costs of running brick-and-mortar theatres has spiralled. The poor, expensive popcorn is at the heart of this theory. So don’t have it! Simple. Enjoy the movie—for that’s the reason you are visiting the theatre in the first place. In the next decade, theatres will be passé... so let’s enjoy till it lasts.
Babita Ashiwal |
Babita Ashiwal (Producer)
Definitely not. Movie halls are the place for masses and will always remain so. In the world of internet, although we have access to all the knowledge of the world, yet we limit our exposure to our socio-economic circle. We don’t look beyond our multiple WhatsApp groups, our Insta and YouTube feeds, our Google suggestions; hence, we are bound to feel that this is the world. Living in metropolitan cities, where everything is overtly expensive, we tend to believe that this is how the rest of the world is living too. Same applies to cinema. Cinema actually lives in single-screen theatres—in small towns, in big towns, even in metros where there are limited single screens. Even for an average entertainer movie, people flock to the theatres. What we need is more theatres all over the country to actually be able to see that India watches cinema in places beyond the multiplex bubble.
Shrimoyee Chakraborty |
Shrimoyee Chakraborty (Filmmaker and TV presenter)
I think the small-screen theatres (because I’m from Calcutta) in the outskirts, I think, still have a reasonable price. But movie theatres, at least the ones in the metro cities, definitely have become super expensive, and hence, sort of an elite thing. But sadly, the movies that have been made are not for the elite.It’s kind of all mass market and less on quality—less, I would say. Back in the day, I also feel there were more Hollywood and European films that were coming, but I feel even that has stopped. And the streaming platforms have definitely made it more accessible for sure. Also, with the Instagram reel culture, everybody’s just watching reels and very little cinema.Also, I think it’s become more of an experiential thing to watch films in the cinema because, honestly, why should somebody pay the price of a subscription for a year to go watch one film if it’s not worth the money?
Balram Vishwakarma |
Balram Vishwakarma Admin of popular Insta page Andheri West Shit Posting)
Absolutely yes. Movie halls feel like gated experiences now, not public spaces. Tickets are ₹300 to ₹500; foreign films even worse. And popcorn costs more than lunch. Once upon a time, my family and extended family—8 to 12 of us—used to go to Moviestar in Goregaon every month. We would watch whatever was playing—didn’t matter. The evening show was ₹120 to ₹140 per head. It was a ritual. Now we can’t do that. We literally can’t afford it. Theatres aren’t dying. They are just no longer meant for people like us. They have been priced, packaged, and handed over to the elite.
