The lessons of National Cinema Day seem to be getting Bollywood. The single-day price reduction of tickets to ₹75 saw a massive increase in footfalls for all films on Friday, September 23. Many pundits and industry insiders had asked the film industry to take note of it, and it seems filmmakers have. On Sunday, makers of Brahmastra and Vikram Vedha announced they were re-adjusting ticket prices for their films.
Brahmastra has been in theatres since September 9, while Vikram Vedha is set to release on September 30. Brahmastra was the biggest beneficiary of National Cinema Day as it minted ₹10.80 crores on the day, selling in advance 15 lakh tickets, one of the highest numbers ever for a Hindi film at a non-opening weekend. Many shows of the film, including late night and early morning ones, were completely sold out
On Sunday, director Ayan Mukerji announced the film’s tickets would be priced at ₹100 for Navratri, which begins on September 26. “National Cinema Day may have taught us something about finding the right ticket price point to allow more audiences to enjoy the movie experience on the big screen! Something which we are incredibly passionate about. With an attitude of always learning and trying new things, we hope this scheme brings some interesting positive learning to us all… and we hope our audiences continue to enjoy Brahmāstra this week, as we kick off Navratri celebrations from tomorrow,” he wrote, alongside a video that announced the reduction of ticket prices from Sept 26–29.
Makers of Hrithik Roshan and Saif Ali Khan-starrer Vikram Vedha have also announced an adjustment in ticket prices as the film gears for release. A statement read, “The producers of the film Reliance Entertainment have opted for an affordable pricing strategy, hoping to make Vikram Vedha a budget-friendly movie-watching experience for the masses.” The statement did not clarify how the tickets would be priced but added that “the pricing strategy will be more affordable than that of Blockbuster films released post-pandemic”.
National Cinema Day was observed by exhibitors across the country, with most cinema chains and independent theatres selling all tickets for ₹75. The massive response to the event led many experts to argue for a price correction, taking this as public feedback.