October 18, 2025

Get ready for some blockbuster news from PVR Inox! The big cinema chain wowed everyone by posting a sparkling net profit of Rs 127 crore for the quarter ended September. This is a giant leap from Rs 22 crore last year. What’s behind this joyride? Steady film content, buzzing theaters with more visitors, and a solid comeback in advertising money. Revenue climbed a healthy 12% to Rs 1,843 crore, while EBITDA zoomed 58% to Rs 327 crore. Margins jumped from 12.6% to 17.8%! Footfalls surged 15% with 44.5 million moviegoers streaming in, and average ticket prices inched up 2% to Rs 262. Though spending on snacks dipped slightly by 1% to Rs 134, advertising revenue hit Rs 126 crore — the highest since the pandemic, boosted by longer ad campaigns tied to big film launches. “This momentum is back,” exclaimed PVR Inox’s managing director Ajay Bijli. He said, "Cinema, like any other out-of-home leisure and entertainment format, is here to stay. People can shop online, but they still go to malls; they can order food, but still go out to restaurants; they can listen to music at home, but they still attend concerts. Cinema fits in the same category." Interestingly, no blockbuster crossed Rs 500 crore in this quarter. But hold your breath—12 films scaled the Rs 100-crore peak! Think Saiyaara, Mahavatar Narsimha, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra, and Su From So — smaller budget films pulling big crowds. Bijli added, “Hardly any major blockbusters came this quarter, but smaller films and sleeper hits did exceptionally well. People have fatigue from staying home and watching on smaller screens. They want to come out.” PVR Inox’s gross box office collections soared 17% to Rs 1,170 crore. Hindi films led with Rs 542 crore (up 21%), Hollywood almost doubled to Rs 286 crore thanks to F1: The Movie and Jurassic World: Rebirth, and regional films earned Rs 308 crore, up 3%. Hindi movies made up 46% of GBOC, regional 26%, and English 24%. The whole industry is feeling the heat! For the first half of FY26, collections jumped to Rs 6,241 crore from Rs 5,446 crore last year. Films earning Rs 100 crore to Rs 500 crore now make up 59% of total income versus 21% earlier, showing the rise of mid-size hits. Bijli also shared a golden insight: "From the content creators’ point of view, they’ve realised that good storytelling connects with audiences. Big-budget films are important, but at the end of the day, it’s the script, music, and cinematography that pull people in." This is PVR Inox’s second-highest post-COVID quarter. Bijli said, “So both engines that drive our business — the consumer and the content creator — are firing well. While there were no Rs 500-crore films, it has been a blockbuster quarter for the industry.” The company’s debt shrank sharply, with net debt dropping to Rs 618 crore from Rs 1,430 crore at the time of the PVR-Inox merger. The screen count will grow by about 100 in FY26, mixing owned theaters and franchise-owned, company-operated models. Expanding screens in tier-two and tier-three cities, especially in South India, is the plan. Bijli pointed out, "India remains underscreened compared to other markets." Looking ahead, Bijli is super optimistic, "Q3 has started off with a bang, with Kantara 2 expected to cross Rs 500 crore and major titles like Avatar 3 and Dhurandhar lined up." Movie lovers, get ready for an exciting year at the cinema!

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Tags: Pvr inox, Box office, Film industry, Revenues, Screen expansion, Movie audiences,