In terms of viewing experience, the theaters might get the upper hand but plenty of other factors are helping OTT to be people’s first choice. One of the major factors comes out as the humongous price tag of foods and beverages, and people are fuming over it.
A tweet recently went viral and it shows why the numbers are deteriorating for the theaters. The user posts a receipt of him buying a bucket of popcorn and a bottle of Pepsi. The total comes out as a staggering 820, even excluding the ticket price.
Complaints like these are not uncommon when it comes to theater or hotel services. Uncontrolled price sits at the pinnacle of the cause as the Supreme Court allows the owners to set the prices as per a decision made in January.
Now, besides complaining, the user shows the very reality that this is helping OTT to grow rapidly. The cost of the food equals some OTT platforms’ yearly cost including Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and JioCinema.
In replying to the tweet, some users mentioned how pocket-friendly the food courts outside the theater are and others talked about how Cinema Halls use tactics to make us buy a larger size of popcorn.
What started with the fear of COVID, the food pricing and other bad experiences might put the final nail in the coffin. Cinema halls are not dying anytime soon but OTT gave them a sense of comfort, OTT gave them a choice.
Rs 460 for 55gm of cheese popcorn, Rs 360 for 600ml of Pepsi. Total Rs 820 at @_PVRCinemas Noida.
That’s almost equal to annual subscription of @PrimeVideoIN.
No wonder people don’t go to cinemas anymore. Movie watching with family has just become unaffordable. pic.twitter.com/vSwyYlKEsK
— Tridip K Mandal (@tridipkmandal) July 1, 2023
