Kiran Rao: Audiences have become very selective about what they want to watch

During a discussion, Kiran Rao expressed optimism about cinemas regaining their audience but emphasizes the need for more affordable and accessible experiences. She points out the imbalance in cinema distribution, with multiplexes concentrated in Tier I and II cities. "I’d say – please don’t price popcorn at Rs 450. That’s a major reason people avoid going to theaters," she urges.
'So many cinemas are going empty that it's not possible for re-releases to impact a new film' Is the release of old films significantly hampering the growth of new films?
Kuran said,"I don't know. I think it's a time when our theatrical business is struggling - we haven't done very well in the last year. I suppose the business naturally contracted during COVID, and then everybody was looking to return to pre-COVID levels. But what has happened is that our audiences have found exactly what they like to watch on OTT platforms. And sometimes, what they like to watch comes to a cinema, and it's an old film they've already seen or heard of, and they want to experience it again. They would much rather take the chance of watching something that, in some way, guarantees satisfaction rather than something new, where they don't know what to expect. In that sense, re-releases have taken away some business. But they shouldn't, because so many cinemas are going empty that it's not possible for a re-release alone to impact a new film. It ultimately comes down to people choosing not to watch the new film. There's nothing else to it. Most people are influenced by trailers or promotional material they've seen, and they're not particularly keen to experiment. Audiences have also become very selective about what they want to watch. Time is very, very important to people, and of course, money is too. So, I would say we're dealing with an audience that has evolved in many ways, with its own distinct likes and dislikes."