Ajay Bijli is the founder of PVR and the current Managing Director of PVR INOX Ltd. In a recent podcast, he shared his insights on the return of audiences to theaters after the Pandemic. Ajay shared that in the South, which has revived post-pandemic, some people are still hesitant to come back as Bollywood films are still not clicking with the audience while talking about the preferences, trends, and cultural nuances that shape the nation’s entertainment landscape.
Ajay Bijli shares views on theatrical resurgence post-pandemic
In a recent podcast with Nikhil Kamath, Ajay Bijli shared his insightful views on the comeback of cinema viewership. According to him, 90% of the audience in the South is buying tickets and there is a theatrical revival post-pandemic but the remaining 10% “is yet to catch up” as Bollywood movies still do not click with audiences. He said, “10% of South India’s movie business is not back due to Bollywood.”
Sharing inside data, Ajay further added that in 2021, South Indian cinemas literally dominated the Indian cinema. But no Hindi-language film was able to make it to the top five domestic highest-learning movies in the year 2022.
Speaking about how cinemas are still making a comeback post-pandemic, Ajay said, “If the content is king, theaters are the kingdom.” According to Bijli, the data suggest the comeback of cinemas with blockbuster openings for International movies like Avatar and Indian movies like The Kashmir Files.
In the same podcast, Ajay also shed light on how there has been a shift in “audience expectations” and demand for more original stories and creativity from filmmakers which is believed to be the reason for the change. In addition, Ajay added that competition from OTT platforms and various other streaming services contributes to this new viewership.
