It was a blockbuster Friday for movie theatres which recorded 6.5 million bookings across 4,000 screens. This is the highest single day booking in 2022 coinciding with the National Cinema Day.

Theatres started screening from 6 am on Friday due to the demand for tickets, the Multiplex Association of India (MAI) said.

“A record number of 6.5+ million (estimated) moviegoers visited their local cinema today to celebrate National Cinema Day. The one-day initiative has seen a massive response from Indian moviegoers, with shows starting as early as 6 am due to an unprecedented demand for the movie tickets,” MAI said.

House-full shows

Audiences of all ages came together and cinema operators across the country reported house-full shows throughout the day, making September 23 the day with the highest attendance in the year.

“National Cinema Day celebrated the successful reopening of cinemas and is a ‘thank you’ to the moviegoers who made this happen. The massive success of the initiative reinforces the fact that the cinema’s appeal is universal, enduring and deep-rooted in the minds of the Indian audiences,” MAI said.

Theatres across the country were also giving away tickets for as low as ₹75. Some cinemas were also offering combo offers with discounted prices on food and beverages.

This comes after movie theatres took a severe hit due to the pandemic. Audiences during the pandemic wholly belonged to the small screen. Adding to that, OTT platforms bagged first release rights to big ticket movies, increasing the threat to the movie distribution business.

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