Leading cinema chain PVR INOX on Saturday announced a new initiative, ‘PVR INOX Passport’, a first-of-its-kind movie subscription pass aimed at “irritating the film industry” and motivating consumers to visit theaters regularly.
Under the monthly subscription pass, which will be available from October 16, moviegoers can watch up to 10 films per month for just Rs. 699. The offer is applicable from Monday to Thursday and excludes premium offers such as IMAX, Gold, LUXE and Director’s Cut.
Gautam Dutta, co-CEO of PVR INOX, said the company has reached out to the customer base to know more about their movie viewing habits.
“There’s a sentiment: consumers say we love the movie experience and we love going to the movies. But we can’t get everything. We’re left guessing as to what the event movies are and what movies they might be.” are consumed on TV, iPad and mobile.
“So in their eyes, Pathaan, Jawan, Salaar and Leo are some of the big box office films. And then there are certain films that they really want to see, but don’t mind waiting a little longer for them… So when we asked and said, ‘Why can’t you come to a movie theater every week?’ They said it will be expensive,” Dutta told PTI.
Such a trend is not healthy for the film industry, especially for mid- and smaller-budget films, Dutta believes.
“The event films are getting bigger and bigger and bigger. The smaller, medium films are being squeezed out. So we needed some kind of product that worked with consumer sentiment to get them back into theaters a lot more often and that will produce better smaller films because we have about 13 to 16 films releasing every week,” he added.
PVR INOX was the first to address consumer concerns about food and beverages by recently cutting their prices by 40 percent.
The film exhibitor also introduced food combinations starting from Rs. 99 from Monday to Thursday between 9am and 6pm, while on weekends it offered bottomless popcorn with “unlimited refills”.
The movie subscription is a new step that will have a positive impact, Dutta said.
“The fact is that we really wanted to irrigate the market and reach people who come to us once, twice or three times a month… More films will be consumed. More films will be produced. There will be a larger audience And over time you will create the habit of consumers coming back to the cinema. So it really is a momentum shifter, not just a price promotion.” Dutta also decoded the target audience of the movie subscription offer and said it is aimed at wooing “students, housewives and seniors”.
“It’s not (for) the time-poor and money-rich people. It’s the other way around. Time-rich and money-poor are my target group,” he said.
According to the company, PVR INOX Passport can be purchased for a minimum subscription period of three months via the cinema chain’s app or website.
“To redeem, users must select a Passport coupon as a payment option at the time of transaction checkout. In the case of a multi-ticket transaction, one ticket can be redeemed with a Passport coupon and the remainder can be paid, via a other regular payment method.
“The Passport is a non-transferable subscription and will have to be used by a single user, who will be required to present government ID upon check-in at the cinema,” the company said.