By doing this survey on CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONREGARDING MULTIPLEX IN KURUKSHETRA Whether it is multiplexes or the Single-Screen Cinemas both need to work

on their service. It is true that being a new entrant in the market the multiplex has gained customer loyalty very fast, which is a threat to the prevailing Single-Screen Cinemas. To keep up to the newly formed competition they have to change to the needs of the customers especially the young crowd, which constitutes the major portion of the movie viewing population. For the Single-Screen Cinemas their future is in danger if they dont change with the time, multiplexes have the benefit of environment and luxury, they tend to attract the younger population more, but they have the disadvantage of high cost. This is their weakness on which the Single-Screen Cinemas can capitalize. By some renovations they can provide, if not a multiple number of screens in their premises but, a wonderful movie viewing experience to their customers. By doing some changes in the infrastructure a larger crowd can be attracted towards the Single-Screen Cinemas as the customer would be getting a similar experience in an lesser cost. If any concrete action is not taken then also the Single-Screen Cinemas wont die soon but they would remain an option only for the lower income group of the market. In this case they would have to lower their price even more to attract more volumes of the lower income group people and hence gain the reputation of an inferior commodity in the industry. So the need of the hour for the Single-Screen Cinemas is to move along with the tide. The areas where there is an urgent need of improvement for the Single-Screen Cinemas are: Picture and sound quality Food quality Seats quality Ambience

The areas where the multiplexes need to work are: Price Food prices Behavior of their staff.

Once in place, the multiplex developed a counter to the unitary propensity of the single screen hall, founded on exclusion, perpetuating homogeneity and cultivating committed audience segments. While single screen cinemas identify themselves with films of particular kinds, say the Hindi masala and blockbuster, the English, or the porn movie, the multiplex has capitalised on an inclusive tendency to motivate and assemble diverse audiences. On the one hand it has contained the influence of embourgeoising forces within its edifice, allowing on its screens the interplay of alternative and mainstream or conventional strains. Further it has limited contact with the West to no more than the fashioning of its site, preventing the hegemony of either Hollywood blockbusters as the result of a partial global encounter, or conventional Bollywood films that enjoy a pan-linguistic and cultural appeal cutting across regional, religious, class and other variants. On the other hand, it has remained an urban, largely middle and upper middle class leisure pursuit, with its highly priced tickets excluding the masses crowded in the lower regions of the income graph. While the masses take to cinema readily, given their financial capacity and lack of identification with the plush appearance, products and services at the multiplex in any case targeted at the socially and economically mobile sections this numerically significant chunk of audience has remained confined to the outer edges of the multiplex experience. And it is unlikely that the dynamics of the multiplex in its present avatar will manage to secure their participation.

Spatially too, multiplexes can mostly be spotted in affluent neighborhoods, within the easy reach and concentration of young audiences. Most of the movie audience watch a movie for pleasure and prefer watching a comedy movie. Since emotional movies are already plenty for people to watch on television and also people need to divert their minds from the tension-filled world, more of light, comedy movies should be made. And, the story of the movie shouldnt be ignored at all. It is seen that the mass channel for creating awareness about the movie is television which should be used more effectively by promotion through TV serials, advertisements, etc. So far a nascent experience, the number of multiplexes is soon slated to rise sharply. The full impact of its rapid spread, particularly over the last two years, is yet to be determined given the long gestation periods and concentration in and around selected pockets. As a result, it is too early to draw any conclusions about its impact or chart any definite course for its future. Going by the variables that are emerging in response to the needs of immediate audiences, and the fact that in its present form it has acknowledged cinema as composed of diverse possibilities, the multiplex may in the future enhance segmentation and result in branded theatres exhibiting particular fare, say the art, mainstream, or foreign films, maybe even documentaries. The mechanisms of competition would then come into operation and influence aspects such as ticket pricing. The Indian film industrys immense potential for growth is very evident. The ingredients for success are present but the growth drivers need to be enabled by the Government and the industry through implementation of the various regulatory and policy measures. The industry will then be able to realise its dreams of becoming globally competitive and establish the country as a significant player in the global entertainment (film) industry. The government also needs to

deal with topics as diverse as fighting copyright theft, insurance and niche broadcasting to radio programming, scripting and the new frontiers in filmmaking. At 12.5 screens per million people, film exhibition infrastructure in India is much lower than in developed countries and woefully inadequate for the large population. The average seating capacity of a theatre in India is between 700 and 800. General attendances are only 35% of capacity. The high level of taxation has led to under investment in the exhibition infrastructure resulting in decrepit cinema halls. India has seen a decline in cinema attendance due to poor cinema content and an inadequate film exhibition infrastructure. Thus to sell their movie the film industry needs to explore other revenue streams such as home video, DVD sales and rentals, cable television rights, pay per view, video on demand and merchandising. In order to boost revenues, there is a compelling need to expand and spruce up the exhibition infrastructure. Pricing of a ticket is a state subject and regulations for pricing differ from state to state. This regulation, present in some states, has rendered operations of numerous theatres unprofitable. While some of the states like Maharashtra and Delhi do not have restrictions on pricing, certain states still control it. In the Southern states where ticket prices are fixed by the collectorate, theatres owners are not allowed to freely price tickets. High taxation has also led to exhibitors under-reporting the levels of ticket sales to avoid paying taxes and sharing the box office profits with the producers/directors and distributors This has led to a parallel marketing of tickets in these states, more so in the rural areas, causing significant loss of revenues to the state. The state governments should thus consider doing away with this regulation. From its present shape, there only emerge more queries than any concrete predictions. Will the rapid spread of the multiplex and its concentration in particular zones with audiences constituting

existing and potential markets for the retail entities supporting the multiplex, emerge as the dominant trend, and push doors for further segregation and institutionalization of segmented audiences, leading to branded multiplexes? Or will encouragement from the various governments drive away the multiplex, aiding its penetration into other urban and semi urban, non-affluent territories? Will the multiplex alter existing film form so as to align with its own plush and colourful appearance? Or will it encourage alternative films? Its dispersal away from well-heeled spaces is crucial if the intention is for it to emerge as at least a pan-urban, if not a pan-Indian experience. Well meaning as government policies may be, without their committed implementation and in the absence of the shopping mall culture in other locales, the possibilities of the multiplex there remain suspect. But in the meanwhile cinema stands redefined for the Indian viewer as composed of fare other than the regular three-hour film. From the present assortment at least, sporadic and transitional as it may be, there are definitely more films to choose from. And the choices arent merely linguistic. With the introduction of DTH, they will have will have to make use of the new technology for better quality, without which the business can be impacted. Also, the main reason for watching movie in multiplex is the experience and the quality, unless they come up with an idea to cater the high demands of the consumer, they will lose in the race of such a competitive environment. Over the next 18-24 months, 5 of the largest multiplex operators in India mentioned earlier are likely to commercialize approximately 200-240 screens spread across 50- 60 new multiplexes. These multiplexes will have a cumulative seating capacity in excess of 55000-60000. There will also be an increase in number of multiplexes operated by smaller players, who constituted 66% of total multiplexes as of march 2007.

 It is estimated that number of operating multiplexes in India will increase by 80-100% by end of 2010. By the end of 2009, 135+ multiplexes will house more than 160,000 seats spread across 500+ screens. These multiplexes will have significant direct positive impact on the business economics of film production, financing, distribution and exhibition and indirectly on other ancillary markets.