In India, where cinema is woven into the cultural fabric, the big screen once held an almost sacred allure, especially in the South, where stars like Rajinikanth and Vijay inspired adulation near worship. Today, however, the magic of the movie outing is dimming, squeezed by skyrocketing food and beverage prices, the rise of streaming platforms and the financial realities of middle-class life.
The Telangana government recently issued a statement noting the high prices of food and beverages sold at cinemas. Rathan, a film scholar, laments the transformation of cinema from an affordable escape to a luxury. “A tub of popcorn and a couple of drinks can rival a restaurant meal,” he says.
Venkat Raghav, a sports expert and avid moviegoer, agrees: “Food used to enhance the experience, but now it’s a monopoly. You’re already paying a premium for tickets.”
Why are cinema snacks so pricey? Ram Venkat Srikar, a cinema enthusiast, points to the post-pandemic decline in footfall. “Theatres are struggling,” he explains. “PVR, for instance, says 40-50% of their revenue comes from food and beverages.” With fewer people attending, theatres offset losses by inflating snack prices. Multiplexes, often nestled in malls, face high rentals and operational costs, which trickle down to consumers. Parking fees, once negligible at single-screen theatres, now add to the tally, as do mall dining expenses if families extend their outing. For a middle-class family of four, a movie night—tickets, snacks, drinks, parking and transport—can easily exceed ₹1500-2000, a significant dent in a monthly budget.
This financial strain is pushing audiences toward streaming platforms such as Netflix and Disney+. “OTT platforms offer a month’s worth of content for less than one movie outing,” Rathan notes. Venkat adds: “You can watch what you want, when you want, in a setting you control.” The convenience and affordability of streaming, coupled with YouTube’s rise as a hub for long-form content, have made theatres less appealing. Ram observes a “creative recession” in filmmaking, with audiences preferring re-releases of classics over risking money on new, unpredictable films. The result? Theatres are losing their repeat audience, and the communal spirit of cinema—laughing and crying together in a shared space—is fading.
In Hyderabad, a cinematic epicentre, theatres fall into three categories: premium multiplexes in upscale malls, mid-tier multiplexes in suburban areas and traditional single-screen venues. Ticket prices vary significantly—premium multiplexes charge ₹250–₹350 for 2D, ₹200–₹400 for 3D, and ₹350–₹600 for 4DX; mid-tier multiplexes offer 2D at ₹200–₹250, 3D at ₹250–₹300, and 4DX at ₹300–₹450; while single-screens remain the most affordable at ₹150–₹200 for 2D and up to ₹ 250 for 3D, with 4DX rarely available.
Snacks, like a ₹300 popcorn tub or ₹150 soft drink, often double the outing’s cost. The Gouds, a middle-class family in Hyderabad earning ₹60,000 a month, said: “We love the thrill of a 3D movie at a mid-tier multiplex, but it’s a drain on the budget—₹1,180 for tickets with GST, ₹1,200 for snacks and ₹200 for parking or transport, totalling ₹2,580. That’s over 4% of our income. Instead, we often go for a ₹1,499 annual OTT subscription and enjoy homemade snacks. It’s not the same as the theatre, but it’s affordable and keeps us entertained at home.”
Are there solutions? Some theatres are experimenting with offers, like PVR-INOX’s weekday subscription for weekly movies at a fixed price (up to ₹500), though it excludes weekends, when families are most likely to visit threatres. Extending such deals to weekends or introducing combo offers for tickets and snacks could help. Single-screen theatres, with lower overheads, might also revive affordability, but they’re dwindling in urban areas.
Cinema still holds a unique charm. The roar of applause during a star’s entry, the collective thrill of a plot twist are experiences only such a space can provide. But unless theatres reduce prices food and beverages and create budget-friendly experiences, the big screen risks becoming a relic.
For now, middle-class families are finding joy in their living rooms even as theatres, once a cultural heartbeat, struggle to keep the lights on.
Published – June 21, 2025 08:26 am IST