Cinema Fights Back: From TV to Streaming Survival

Vishek Chauhan's new book, 'Cinemas Forever,' details the resilience of movie theaters against various technological challenges. In 1947, the US saw a record 4.7 billion tickets sold, with cinema being a major retail business. However, the advent of television dramatically impacted box office revenue, causing ticket sales to plummet by 75% within 23 years.

To counter this, the multiplex model emerged in 1963, offering audiences more choices under one roof. Decades later, India faces a significant screen shortage, selling only 90 crore tickets annually despite its large population, compared to the US which sells more tickets than its population.

Chauhan's book points out that India requires an additional 20,000-30,000 affordable, community-focused cinemas to bridge this gap. Home video in the 1980s and 90s and later streaming services posed further challenges.

Despite these disruptions, the book concludes that cinema's enduring appeal lies in the collective emotional experience of watching films together. Post-pandemic releases like 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' demonstrated a strong audience hunger for this shared experience, proving that accessible infrastructure is key to cinema's future, especially in India.