Oppenheimer vs Barbie: PVR keeps fingers crossed on Barbenheimer; slashes snacks pricing

PVR, India’s biggest cinema operator, is banking on the release of 'Barbenheimer' – Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer – on July 21 to uplift a lukewarm year for movies. The cinema operator has also ensured a host of measures to bring patrons back to the cinema theatres. 

According to a report in news agency Reuters, PVR Inox has set up countdown timers for the first time at several locations. It also rolled out Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy, on Friday midnight, which is when it was released in the US. 

The report stated that PVR has cut snack prices too and is offering unlimited popcorn refills on the weekends. For long cinemagoers have complained about the exorbitant pricing of popcorn and other snacks and beverages in the cinema halls. 

Some theatres will also run an Oppenheimer movie marathon, meaning that there will be back-to-back shows over a 24-hour period, over the opening weekend. 

PVR co-CEO Gautam Dutta told the news agency that the combined sales for Oppenheimer and Barbie movies for Friday to Sunday was 9 lakh tickets. This is the highest sale for any non-Marvel or non-Avatar movies. 

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Dutta expects ‘Barbenheimer’ to drive a notable portion of revenue for the current quarter. 

Several Oppenheimer shows – including midnight and 7 am screenings on Friday – were fully booked. 

According to BookMyShow, 8 per cent of those who bought Oppenheimer tickets also booked tickets for Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling – many on the same day. 

PVR’s hopes are pinned on Oppenheimer and Barbie as the overall box office collection in the first half of the year amounts to significantly lesser than last year’s. As per a recent report by Ormax Media, the cumulative box office for January-June releases stands at Rs 4,868 crore, which is 15 per cent lower than the same period in 2022.

The report estimates the box office collection of the year to wrap up at around Rs 9,736 crore, which would be 8 per cent lower than the annual collection of Rs 10,637 crore last year. However, the second half of the year has a good lineup, including Jawan, Salaar and Tiger 3. 

The H1 2023 box collection was primarily driven by Shah Rukh Khan’s blockbuster hit Pathaan, that contributed 13 per cent of the overall earnings. 

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