PVR Inox Is Looking to Add Two More Superplexes This Year

Cinema exhibitor PVR INOX on Thursday said it is looking to add two more superplexes this year as part of plans to expand its large format offering. The company opened its new 12-screen superplex in Bengaluru, having multiple cinema formats, taking its total to 158 screens in 25 cinemas in the city.

Superplexes or cinema halls with 10 or more screens offer a range of formats and experiences under one roof in mega malls with large floor areas.

“Bengaluru has always been a very special market for us, where the movie-going propensity is very high. People there watch all kinds of movies in multiple languages or genres and it is the best-performing city for us… We’re always looking at growth opportunities in Bengaluru,” PVR INOX Executive Director Sanjeev Kumar Bijli said.

The new superplex has 12 screens with 2,192 seats, he added. When asked how many superplexes the company plans to open across India, he said, “This year, we’re launching two more, one each in Bengaluru and Pune.” At present, the company has seven superplexes.

Bijli said superplexes are bringing a change in the entertainment landscape with futuristic cinema concepts and bespoke hospitality. With the addition of the new superplex in Bengaluru, the company has consolidated its presence in the south with a total of 542 screens in 96 properties, PVR INOX said.

In other news, PVR INOX co-CEO Gautam Dutta revealed that he’s expecting an industry-wide opening day gross box office collection of Rs. 7 crore for Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Rs. 4 crore for Barbie. Both films release this Friday and are expected to make a total of Rs. 45 crore — Rs. 30 crore for Oppenheimer and Rs. 15 crore for Barbie — during the opening weekend (Friday–Sunday collection) in India.