India’s theatre-going population surges 29% in 2023, reaching 15.7 crore

An annual report from media analytics firm Ormax Media sheds light on the growth of the Indian theatrical market. The report, based on research conducted in January 2024 among 8,500 Indian audiences across both urban and rural areas, reveals growth in the number of theatre-goers in India vis-à-vis the previous year.

According to the report, India has 157.4 million or 15.7 crore theatre-goers that is those who watched at least one film in a theatre in 2023. This marks a 29% increase compared to the previous year (12.2 crore) while also surpassing the pre-pandemic level (14.6 crore) by eight percent.

The 15.7 crore audience contributed to the 94.3 crore footfalls at the domestic box office in 2023, an average of six films watched by a typical theatre-goer in India, across all languages put together.

“Market sizing and audience data are as crucial as box office numbers when it comes to strategic decision-making. With a history of more than 100 years and 12,000 crore plus box office, the Indian film industry needs and deserves a study of this nature and stature,” Sanket Kulkarni, head- business development (theatrical), Ormax Media, said.

The report highlights Hindi-language cinema has witnessed significant growth, with its audience rising to 9.2 crore, a 58% increase over 2022. Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films have witnessed a minor drop in audience shares, while Malayalam cinema experienced a 19% increase in audience, rising from 1 crore in 2022 to 1.2 crore in 2023. Financial Express