Once frowned upon, these days, one finds that single viewer who comes in watch his or her film of choice. Well, it sounds fun, and the person seems to be enjoying the show and, well, his or her bucket of popcorn. Once out of the screen, there is a lot more to explore in a mall. But that’s when the person realizes he did spend quite a bit on his food during the film.
Now, take the case of a family, and the expense multiplied that many times depending on how large or small the family is. Little wonder that many complain about the exorbitant rates of popcorn in multiplexes. When the current generation were kids or when their parents were in their youth, a popcorn packet would cost a mere Rs 10; today, one shells out anything above Rs 500 plus the taxes and GST.
But it is all well accounted for, says PVR Boss Ajay Bijli. He says India is transitioning from single screens to multiplexes, and people are slowly and steadily getting used to the idea of popcorn being a sizeable cost they have to pay for watching a film on the big screen.
It’s all about the experience, he says. As for the company, it is simple logistics, says Bijli. They have to have multiple screens, say 6, to say the least, and then the foyer has to be air-conditioned. Of course, there are the costs of maintenance and rents paid to the malls for space.
So, according to Bijli, who is looking forward to the final step in the merger of PVR and Inox, the cost of popcorn is totally justified. So, the next time you count your monies, remember the effort the brand is putting in to give you a pleasant experience. Then maybe, you wouldn’t bother about what you paid for your popcorn!
