The Hindu Business Line : Cinemas to offer more than movies

Over the years, the number of filmgoers has been coming down, a fact reflected in both the drop in entertainment tax collection for the Tamil Nadu Government as well as the half-empty halls. A fact reinforced by the number of cinemas that have given way to commercial complexes in the city. To name a few: Sun, Wellington, Alankar and Rajkumari.

Another stark reminder of the tough times that cinemas fell into is the deserted Safire complex on arterial Anna Salai, almost at the foot of the flyover. For, the three-theatre Safire complex was once the most popular theatre complex in the city - where the best English movies were released and where people preferred to watch a movie.

The reasons for the drop in the number of people going to a cinema are many. In the last decade, there has been a spurt in the number of satellite television channels, almost all of which dish out films or film-based programmes.

Besides, in the last couple of years other entertainment avenues have opened up - video game parlours and bowling alleys - competing for the same money that anybody would spend on entertainment.

Therefore, the option before cinemas is to think of the future by offering their clientele something extra that would make them want to come back. The cinemas upgraded their audio systems bringing in the latest digital equipment. But, even this is not enough. They need to offer the proper ambience and provide a total entertainment package - good environment to enjoy the films and good quality food. Musty halls and dank chairs are a sure recipe for turning away anybody. So, also is the quality of food.

"Food is a major source of discontent among film-goers," points out Mr S.B.P. Pattabhi Rama Rao of Sathyam cinemas. The Sathyam complex now has five theatres - the largest of which has 1,266 seats and the smallest 148 - with a 200-seat hall, Signature, being planned.

Adds Mr Sv.Rm. Ramanathan, Managing Director, Abirami Theatres Pvt Ltd, cinemas have to plan long into the future. They have to provide an integrated complex - movie halls, places to eat and shopping - if they are to continue attracting people.

That explains the hectic construction activity going on at the Abirami theatre complex in Purasawalkam.

At present, the complex has four theatres with a total capacity of 2,354 seats.

By January-February, this will become a six-theatre complex, including a rooftop, drive-in digital theatre, which, Mr Ramanathan says, is a first of its kind. Besides this, the 1,000-seat Abirami, the biggest hall, will be split into two cinemas with a capacity of 400 and 330 seats.

The mega mall that is coming up at the Abirami complex will provide parking space, a floor of fast food restaurants serving different cuisines, one floor devoted to shops selling garments and apparels, and another selling other kinds of goods. The terrace will be divided into a digital theatre, which can accommodate up to 27 cars, and a children's play area.

According to Mr Ramanathan, Mitsubishi and Sanyo are in the race to provide the equipment for the digital theatre, where audio systems will be provided in each car. Two lifts will carry cars up to the terrace.

The mega mall, according to him, will feature a building management system supplied by Siemens and erected by Voltas.

This system will control all aspects like the air-conditioning, by way of sensors. The expansion is expected to cost Rs 10 crore, of which 25-30 per cent is from internal accruals and the rest from banks and institutions, according to Mr Ramanathan.

He says that the mega mall is being planned in such a way that anybody coming to any of the cinemas will have to pass through the shopping area.

The management also plans to offer pick-up service - anybody wanting to come to a cinema or the shopping complex can ask for this service. They will be picked up and dropped back at their destination, for a fee. This will reduce the hassle of driving as well as finding a place to park, according to him.

Parking is one problem that the management of Sathyam cinemas does not face. The 55-ground plot on which the cinemas are built can accommodate up to 500 cars and 1,000 two-wheelers. However, it cannot hope to put up a shopping complex as the space for that is just not available.

What the Sathyam management has done is to improve the quality of food served in the five cinema halls. About seven months back, it took over running the canteens and brought in staff from star hotels.

The management set standards for food it serves at the counters - be it the patties or the cakes. It also went in for preferred partners - Coke for soft drinks, Cadbury's for chocolates and Cookie Man for cookies - and also imported a popcorn machine, says Mr Pattabhi Rama Rao.

According to him, Sathyam is in the process of computerising ticketing. This will allow booking for tickets for a movie at any counter.

The software, Vista, is from a New Zealand company and has been installed in hundreds of cinemas worldwide, he says.

Once the computerised ticketing system is in place, Sathyam cinemas will also be able to offer an automated IVR facility and booking of tickets through Sathyam Cinemas' own Web servers.

Sathyam can also install kiosks in different parts of the city, where members through a pre-paid card, can buy tickets.

Sathyam will also consider installing the software in companies with large number of employees - more than 200, for instance - allowing the employees to book tickets in their place of work itself.

All that the company will be required to do is to buy a printer compatible with the software.

It can also think of having a customer loyalty programme where points will be awarded for the number of times one visits the theatre complex and which can be redeemed at various destinations. Mr Pattabhi Rama Rao said the upgradation would cost about Rs 5-6 crore over a two-year period, all of which would be through internal accruals. Sathyam Cinemas had hired a US-based architect firm, TK Associates, to redesign the entire complex.

He said Sathyam was also helping film distributors by arranging for corporate sponsorship for the movies, under which the corporate sponsors would bear the cost of advertising. Over the last one year, it had arranged for corporate sponsors for at least a dozen movies. Sathyam Cinemas would also like to have a bowling alley, but that required regulatory approval.

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