The Pvr Journey In India Since 1997

The last two decades have seen phenomenal transitions in Indian theatres. Watching a movie in an average single-screen theatre with not-so-comfy seating and no multiple F&D options was the only option back then. India had dingy theatres backed by unhygienic food, stinking restrooms; all that with no ventilation. We somehow managed to relish this phase, but times have changed now and so does the movie experiences.

India saw the multiplex revolution in the late 1990s. PVR Anupam was one of the first multiplexes with four screens, opened in 1997 in New Delhi. Thanks to the real estate boom and the central government for allowing 100% foreign direct investment. Adding to this transition was the increasing number of Hollywood films that saw numerous exhibitions across India at that time.

It was 2004 when PVR introduced India’s biggest 11-screen multiplex at Forum Mall in Bangalore. After 3 years in2008, it came out with the first Digital Cinema with Premiere at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon; followed by launching a new paradigm in Indian cinema industry - PVR Director's cut in 2011.The holistic movie experience has changed tremendously in the last 21 years in terms of everything from ticket bookings to infrastructure to technology to F&B and the list will go on. PVR, since its inception, has strived to offer innovative and personalized movie experiences to moviegoers. PVR was the first in the business to introduce mobile based ticketing which made the life of our patrons easier as it made possible for them to have their movie tickets just a click away.

Speaking of the evolution of F&B in multiplexes, PVR has proved to be a trendsetter by introducing premium quality packaged snacks. We keep innovating and coming up with F&B options keeping in mind the taste & preference of our customers. When it comes to making a viewer’s movie experience memorable, we strive to take a step forward to leave no stone unturned. We use 4K digital screens and 2K DCI compliant projectors. We have always dreamt of taking India to the movies with some really out of the box offerings and I am pleased that we are able to do it.

Today we have come too far from an 800-900 seat theatre with uncomfortable chairs and antique fans to multiplex phenomenon loaded with comfortable recliners, quality sound and projection technology, and endless F&B options delivered to our seats. Our multiplexes desire to work towards making consumer's every movie experience anything but ordinary. If we talk about today's scenario, we conclude that it is no more just about watching a movie; it now has become more like a movie cation.

Besides multiplexes, we felt that the cinematic experience should now go beyond the four walls of the theatres. To take this notion a notch higher, we introduced two different offerings in our portfolio - VR Lounge and VKAAO in2017. VR Lounge is the perfect place for immersive videos and interactive games, which are nothing but will take you through a phenomenal experience. On the other hand, VKAAO is an online (web and app) `Theatre on Demand’ or `Movies on Demand’ service that enables consumers to watch any movie of their choice at a theatre of their choice, as and when they wish to.

Picking pace with innovation while crafting unique customer offerings in mind, this year, we thought of redefining theatre experiences and thus launched the first high dynamic range LED theatre display, offering features like Onyx view, Onyx Sound and Onyx 3D in collaboration with Samsung. Moviegoers can now experience greater vibrancy, true colors and matchless picture quality while watching movies. It would be from the director’s vision and how s/he would intend for movies to be seen.

Advanced theatre technology is on the rise and our commitments at PVR go hand in hand. Our journey has been truly inspiring and we aim to introduce more technology-based experiences to our customers in the coming days.

With the outburst of new players in the market, the competition has undoubtedly gone high. We, however, understand this and will continue to create unmatched offerings for our patrons. After all, it’s always on us to keep them happy and satiated through creating unique experiences that nobody else could, in today’s world.