An IMAX ticket at PVR in Connaught Place, Delhi costs upwards of ₹1500. Two hundred kilometres away, in a single screen theatre in Meerut, the same film is playing for ₹80. Both places have people going to watch the same film — but the experience is different. One has sofa-like seats and premium popcorn. The other has wooden chairs and whistles and cheers. Both have cinema — the meaning of cinema is just different.
The Rise of the Multiplex — When Cinema Became 'Premium'
When the first PVR multiplex opened in Saket, Delhi in 1997, it was a cultural shift. Air-conditioned, comfortable, clean — this was the cinema that represented middle-class aspirations. A new way to experience entertainment with 'class'. But with it came a divide — for those whose pockets couldn't manage it, the new screen's door began to close.
Today India has 10,000+ multiplex screens. PVR, Inox, Cinepolis — these chains are expanding in tier-1 and tier-2 cities. Premium formats — IMAX, 4DX, Dolby Atmos — have brought a new level. But in tier-3 cities and rural India single screens still remain — more than 15,000 of them.
Single Screen — Where Cinema Is Truly 'Mass'
Visit a single screen theatre in a small Rajasthan town. People chat for fifteen minutes before the film starts. Whistles erupt the moment the hero appears. The villain gets loud booing. Comedy scenes send laughter ringing through the hall. This is a communal experience — watching cinema here is a social event, not an individual entertainment session.
This is why films like 'Sholay', 'Deewar', 'Maine Pyar Kiya' were so successful — they were made for the single screen audience. Loud, emotional, participatory. When Dharmendra climbed the water tank and delivered 'Main Tera Khoon Pi Jaaunga', people in single screens literally stood up.
Ramesh Bhai, 55, Rajkot"Our town had only one cinema — Shalini Talkies. Every Friday a new release and the whole town would talk about it. Now it's closed. A mall has taken its place. But that feeling — watching a film in community — a mall can't give that."
The Single Screen Crisis — Disappearing Community Cinema
In 2000 India had approximately 13,000 single screen theatres. By 2026 this number has fallen to fewer than 7,000. Many reasons — real estate prices rose, converting a theatre into a mall was more profitable, the burden of entertainment tax, competition from OTT. Even the theatres that survive are struggling.
The impact has fallen hardest on B and C grade city films. Films made specifically for small-town audiences — Bhojpuri, Haryanvi, rural drama — have seen their reach diminish. Cultural representation became circular — the films that get made are those the multiplex audience would enjoy, which is usually urban and English-educated.
OTT Has Made the Equation Even More Complicated
OTT has placed a new challenge in front of theatres. A ₹200/month Netflix subscription versus a ₹500 movie ticket — for a family of four, the economics are clear. The multiplex industry has answered with 'experience' — IMAX, premium lounges, food delivery. But single screens don't have this option.
However, there is an interesting phenomenon — some films specifically make you want to go to a theatre to watch them. 'KGF', 'RRR', 'Pathaan' — the spectacle of these films is not as effective on a home screen. This 'event cinema' concept — where going to the theatre is itself an event — keeps both single screens and multiplexes relevant.
Ananya Srivastava, 26, Lucknow"I went to see 'Animal' in IMAX — that experience was impossible at home. But I watched 'Laapataa Ladies' on Netflix because in my city it was showing in only one cinema. The match between content and venue matters."
The Future of Both — Co-existence or Competition?
Film industry experts believe there is room for both multiplex and single screen — provided each category plays to its own strengths. Multiplexes should offer premium experience — event cinema, technology, food. Single screens should offer affordable family entertainment — and government should provide tax breaks so these can survive.
Watching cinema in India is not just entertainment — it is identity, community, nostalgia. When we lose one screen, we actually lose a gathering point. And the need to gather — to laugh, cry, and celebrate together — that is human. Digital technology cannot replace it.
