A record number of people in India went to the movies on Friday in honour of National Cinema Day. Thanks to heavily discounted tickets, an estimated 6.5 million moviegoers attended their local multiplex to purchase tickets for just Rs 75, making September 23 the highest-attended date of the year for theatres, according to the Multiplex Association of India (MAI).
In a press note, the MAI stated, "The one-day initiative has seen a massive response from the Indian moviegoers, with shows starting as early as 6:00am due to an unprecedented demand for movie tickets."
"Audiences of all ages came together and the country's cinema operators reported house-full shows throughout the day, marking 23 September the highest attendance of the year," it added.
National Cinema Day attracted an estimated 6.5+ Million moviegoers to cinemas across India.
It sets a new Cinema Attendance record in the year 2022#NationalCinemaDay2022pic.twitter.com/SOOCqulvVx
The statement further also informed that more than 4,000 screens across the country participated in the initiative including cinema chains like PVR, INOX, Cinepolis, Carnival, Miraj, Citypride, ASIAN, Mukta A2, Movie Time, Wave, M2K and Delite and many others.
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The National Cinema Day celebrated the successful reopening of cinemas after COVID-19, and is a "thank you" to the moviegoers who made this happen, the MAI said. It also added that this massive success of the initiative reinforces the fact that the appeal of the cinema experience is universal, enduring and deep-rooted in the minds of the Indian audiences.
Meanwhile, due to state regulations with respect to cinemas and ticket pricing, in states, including Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, some cinemas were reportedly not able to participate in the National Cinema Day celebrations. However, participating theatres in all states, including the aforementioned list, made special offers to mark the occasion.
