National Cinema Day is a unique initiative to invite people to movie theatres.
The Multiplex Association of India (MAI) and cinemas across the country are celebrating National Cinema Day on September 16 and offering tickets at a flat price of Rs 75. This will come as a surprise for moviegoers who have to shell out Rs 200-300 for a single ticket. The announcement comes days after movie theatres in the United States said they would celebrate their National Cinema Day on September 3 and offer tickets for a price as low as $3.
Why is National Cinema Day celebrated?
The theatre owners are celebrating the occasion to mark the successful reopening of cinemas after COVID-19 as a "thank you" gestures to moviegoers.
Through the initiative, the cinema halls also want to invite those people who have still not started going to theatres after the pandemic.
The one-day-only discount will be available at more than 4,000 participating theatres.
Brahmastra tickets for Rs 75
National Cinema Day will give people a chance to watch new movies like Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt starrer Brahmastra for Rs 75.
The movie will be released on September 9 and its tickets will be sold at regular price for a week before this one-day-only drop in price.
Will tickets really be at Rs 75?
Though the cinemas in India will charge a flat amount of Rs 75 for every film on September 16, online third-party apps or websites can levy additional taxes.
For instance, BookMyShow is still liable to charge additional internet fees and GST on top of the Rs 75 price tag. If moviegoers want to save every penny, they can wait in queues like in the old days.
History of National Cinema Day
The unique initiative has been started with an intention to remind people how fun it is to go to the cinema. If it works out well, the National Cinema Day could become an annual thing like Black Friday.
The pandemic and popularity of streaming platforms have hurt the movie business and theatres are getting the brunt of it.
The success of movies like Tom Cruise starrer Top Gun: Maverick, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Jurassic World Dominion, Minions: The Rise of Gru, and Thor: Love and Thunder (with ticket sales numbers of well over $3 billion) has given theatre owners hope and they want to capitalise on that.