PVR Cinemas is set to offer a new crowd sourced “theatre-on-demand” service across its cinemas. This will be done through the web and app platform called Vkaao, which will allow consumers to book an “individually curated movie experience” online.

Consumers will be able to choose the films from a vast library, the screening time, location of the theatre and invite others to the screening. The multiplex chain said a minimum of 50 viewers will be required to offer such a customised screening experience.

Kamal Gianchandani, CEO, PVR Pictures, said: “We will use several innovative ways for customer acquisition and building the audience base for this service such as releasing some movies exclusively through Vkaao or screening some movies first on Vkaoo before the mass screening. We run 562 screens across the country and we believe we have enough capacity to accommodate these customised shows across our properties.”

Gianchandani added that Vkaao, “empowers audience to find their preferred film and films to find their audiences, as films target diverse set of audiences.”

It will initially offer about 1,000 titles in its library and hopes to gradually expand it to about 2,500 titles.

The company is also looking to take this service beyond its own cinemas and collaborate with other exhibitors and single-screen cinemas. “We are already in talks with other exhibitors and single-screen cinemas to join this platform. We will hold such screenings in collaboration with other players on a revenue share basis,” he said.

This comes at a time, when on-demand streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have been launched in India and gaining ground.

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