A

RESEARCH REPORT
ON
“Customer Satisfaction & Customer Preference
Survey on Multiplexes in Sonipat ”
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF 3 YEARS FULL TIME COURSE IN

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

(BBA)

Under the Kind Guidance of: Submitted By:

Mr. Vivek Mittal Jyoti
BBA Faculty Roll. No: 184118

SUBMITTED TO:
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
HINDU GIRLS COLLEGE
Affiliated to
MDU ROHTAK
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

SR. NO. PARTICULARS PAGE No.

CERTIFICATE OFRESEARCH GUIDE
DECLARATION BY CANDIDATE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CHAPTER – I
 INTRODUCTION.
 RATIONALE OF THE CONSUMER
RESEARCH STUDY
 SCOPE OF PROJECT
 OBJECTIVE OF PROJECT
CHAPTER – II
 ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
 MULTIPLEXES
 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
CHAPTER – III
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY.

CHAPTER – IV
 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

CHAPTER – IV
 FINDING, SUGGESTIONS &
CONCLUSIONS
LIMITATIONS
QUESTIONNAIRE
BIBILIOGRAPHY

2
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the project title “Research Study On Multiplexes In

Sonipat” being submitted by Jyoti , student of BBA-6th semester of Hindu Girls
College Sonipat of MDU Rohtak , in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
award of the degree of Bachelor of business administration is a bonafide piece of
work conducted under my supervision.

Vivek Mittal

Assistant professor

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 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project work entitled “A Customer Satisfaction &
Customer Preference Survey on Multiplexes in Sonipat ” submitted to BBA is a
record of an original work done by me under the guidance of Mr. Vivek Mittal and
this project work has been done under BBA degree .
The information given herein, statements & other related papers enclosed along
with this report are to the best of my knowledge & belief, true & correct in all
respects.

Jyoti
CLASS:- BBA 6TH SEM.

ROLL NO.:- 184118

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A project is never the work of an individual. It is moreover a combination of ideas,

suggestions, review, contribution and work involving many folks. It cannot be

completed without guidelines. Preservation, inspiration and motivation have

always played important role in the success of any venture.

First of all I would like to express my sincere thanks to MR. Vivek Mittal & other

faculty member of BBA department, for valuable suggestion and making this

project a real successful.

Last but not least, my sincere thanks to my parents & friends directly or indirectly

who helped me bring this project in final shape.

Jyoti

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This study is all about to understand the consumers’ perception towards the
multiplexes and to forecast the future of multiplexes in city like Sonipat .It also
measures the customer satisfaction and room for improvement for the multiplexes
.Related topics like demand for a drive-in theatre in the city and the fate of single
screen theatres in India and specifically in Sonipat have been discussed here within
.This study is carried out with the help of non-disguised structured
questionnaire which discloses the responses of the respondents towards the
multiplexes.

As per the data collected we found that all respondents welcome the culture of
multiplexes in the city. The people are very happy to have the pleasant experience
of watching the movies in multiplexes which they so far used to get only in
metropolitans but now in their homeland. The study reveals that the future of the
multiplexes in Sonipat is very bright. The people are willing to spend more on
entertainment and the metropolitan culture has started intruding in the city.

From the feedback of 31 respondents interviewed, Maxx Cinema is emerged as a

clear winner out of the 4 multiplexes – Maxx Cinema, Carnival, Mukta A2 and
Q Cinema in Sonipat. Respondents feel that single screen theatres still stand a
chance and would love to have a Drive-in theatre in the city.

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 INTRODUCTION

A movie theater, cinema or Multiplex is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion
pictures ("movies" or "films"). Most movie theaters are commercial operations catering to the
general public, who attend by purchasing a ticket. The movie is projected with a movie projector
onto a large projection screen at the front of the auditorium. Some movie theaters are now
equipped for digital cinema projection, removing the need to create and transport a physical film
print.

A multiplex is a multi-screen entertainment complex showing different films under one roof with
other type of supporting business in the vicinity like Restaurant, Shopping arcade and other
entertainment avenues such as Game parlor, DJ party hall, Bowling, Cafeteria, Ice skating
etc. Emergence of multiplex has made movie going out an event. People can go at just about
anytime and find something to watch. It also enables exhibitor to show a variety of movies
appealing to several segments of moviegoers while serving patrons from common support
facilities such as Box Office, Concession areas, rest room, and lobby. The multiplex model is
based on the concept of Umbrella Entertainment built around a primary anchor movie.

Cinemas are considered to be an integral part of cities and they contribute to the definition of a
local geography and identity. They also contribute to the preservation of the collective memory,
since they constitute a significant social and cultural practice linked to a specific place, which
acts as a common reference or landmark for many individuals. The impact of multiplexes and
megaplexes on the urban fabric, as well as urban planning policies in certain countries, is
considerable . Most of the multiplexes are located near the center or in the suburbs of major
cities, and since they constitute a part of the urban fabric they must contribute to the quality of
urban life and respond to urban planning needs. In relation to city centers, there is always the
danger of urban decay and therefore they must be regenerated. This implies containing the
growth of commercial developments on the suburbs. The main question that arises relates to the
ways that a multiplex affects the development of a city, the quality of life of its residents (and
tourists), and, perhaps, the planning legislation in some countries.

India currently has 11500 existing screens, 95% are standalone, single screens. These single
screen cinemas are poorly maintained as the owners find it difficult to upgrade and renovate
their facilities, due to unavailability of organized finance. The deteriorating quality of these
cinemas dissuaded viewers and they started using alternative viewing options.

Over the last few years, multiplexes have emerged as a trend in urban India. "Multiplexes" are
essentially cinemas with 3 or more screens. They provide a quality viewing experience and are
generally located around shopping malls to increase footfalls in these malls. Each screen in a
multiplex has small seating capacities in the range of 150-300 seats as compared to single
screen cinemas which have capacities in the range of 800-1,200 seats.

The journey of multiplex which was started in 1997 with inauguration of first multiplex Priya

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Village Roadshow (PVR) Saket in New Delhi is currently at crossroads roughly a dozen players
have entered in the business in small or big way. New players are trying to enter this sector and the
existing players are busy expanding their horizons. The multiplex has gone beyond the
metros to redefine entertainment in Tier 1 and 2 cities.

The entertainment industry growth is 19% in India. And total market worth is about 51,300
crore in India in year 2008.The multiplexes are often characterized by a good ambience,
comfortable seating, air-conditioning, and modern infrastructure

On one hand the primary sources of multiplex income are: Patron’s spending
viz. ticket sale, F&B, and parking, Advertisement Income, Management fee and Revenue
sharing. On the other hand the prominent components of expenses are: Cost incurred for the
working of a multiplex are: Distributor Share, F&B Cost, Lease Rentals, Other Operating costs
Sonipat is an ancient town and a municipal council in Sonipat district in the state of Haryana,
India.It comes under National Capital Region and is 45 km north of Delhi. It is a part of National
Capital Region along with Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Mewat, Palwal, Rewari, Jhajjar, Rohtak,
Panipat, Alwar, Bhiwadi Industrial Town, Noida, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, and Meerut. The
district borders Delhi union territory in south, Panipat District in the north, Jind District in the
north-west, Uttar Pradesh state in the east with the Yamuna River acting as a border and Rohtak
District in the west.

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 Key Terms
 Marketing Research

Marketing Research is the function which links the consumer, customer, & public to
the marketer through information - information used to identify & define marketing
opportunities & problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor
marketing performance; and improve understanding of market as a process.

Marketing research specifies the information required to address these issues; designs
the method for collecting information; manages and implements the data collection
process; analyses the results; and communicates the findings and their implication
(G. C. Beri, 2000; page no. 4).

 Customer

Also called client, buyer, or purchaser, is usually used to refer to a current or

potential buyer or user of the products of an individual or organization, called
the supplier, seller, or vendor. This is typically
through purchasing or renting goods or services. However, in certain contexts, the
term customer also includes by extension anyone who uses or experiences the
services of another. A customer may also be a viewer of the product or service that is
being sold despite deciding to not buy them. However, "customer" also has a more
generalized meaning as in customer service and a less commercialized meaning in
not-for-profit areas.

To avoid unwanted implications in some areas such as government services,

community services, and education, the term "customer" is sometimes substituted by
words such as "constituent" or "stakeholder". This is done to address concerns that
the word "customer" implies a narrowly commercial relationship involving the
purchase of products and services. However, some managers in this environment, in
which the emphasis is on being helpful to the people one is dealing with rather than
on commercial sales, comfortably use the word "customer" to both internal and
external customers.

 Consumer

It is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods and
services generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer is used in
different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.

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  Brand Preference

It means the preference of the consumer for one brand of a product in relation to
various other brands of the same product available in the market. Customer may be
buyer or user. Buyer is the person who makes actual or uses the product or service.
The choice of the consumers is revealed by their brand preference.

 Customer Satisfaction
It is the individual perception of the performance of the product or service in relation
to his or her expectations (Leon G. schiffman & Leslie Lazar Kanuk, 2009; page no.
29).

SUBJECT

Customer’s Preference and Satisfaction for the Multiplexes in Sonipat.

 RATIONALE OF THE CONSUMER RESEARCH STUDY

The Proposed research study would report on selected customers’ expectations and experiences
with regards to their feedback about their particular choice of multiplex located in Sonipat City
in the state of Haryana. In this study an attempt would be made to measure and evaluate
customer’s satisfactions or dissatisfactions from conveniently drawn sampling units, who have
enjoyed watching a movie from a particular multiplex. This will help us to know the outlook of
customers towards different multiplexes and the quality of services provided by them.

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 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study shall be undertaken in Sonipat City in the state of Haryana, to measure and evaluate
current state of customers preference , customer satisfaction and their actual experiences with
regard to selected particular choice of multiplex located in Sonipat City in the State of Haryana.
There were a total of 4 multiplexes covered – Carnival , Mukta A2, Maxx Cinema and Q
CINEMA .

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 OBJECTIVE
For any research work there has to be some objective which can highlight the purpose of doing
the research work. The objective of the study is to find the consumer preference for a particular
multiplex among consumers in Sonipat city. In the study the researcher aims at analyzing the
following aspects:

 To collect data from selected consumers’ of movies from the Sonipat City in the State of
Haryana, on selected criteria.
 To obtain the opinion from selected customers’ of particular choice of multiplex about
their preference, satisfaction and actual experiences with availing the service of
multiplexes.
 To obtain the opinion from selected customers’ about type of services provided by
different multiplexes in the city.
 To study the overall perception of selected consumers’ of a particular multiplex.
 To find out the alternative choice of consumers in case of non-availability of their
favorite multiplex
 To find out still existing market for single screen theatres and new opportunities for a
Drive – in theatre.

This research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase the study was based on the results
of a wide survey, that is, personal interview with the aid of printed questionnaires. The second
phase of study was conducted by Secondary Research using Google and other Databases. The
internet basically serves the purpose for the same.

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 THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY
Entertainment is always seen as a major source for leisure, relaxation and information
and improved living standard translates into higher needs for leisure and entertainment. It is also
an established fact that entertainment is generally recession proof. The Indian
Entertainment industry, which primarily consists of film software, distribution and
exhibition, television software and broadcasting, music, radio, is one of India’s oldest and
prominent industries.

It is the largest in the world in terms of ticket sales and number of films produced annually.
India accounts for 73% of movie admissions in the Asia-Pacific region, and earnings are
currently estimated at US$8.9 billion. The industry is mainly supported by the vast cinema-
going Indian public. The Central Board of Film Certification of India cites on its website that
every three months an audience as large as India's billion-strong population visits cinema
halls. Indian films are popular in various parts of the world, especially in countries with
significant Indian communities. The Hindi film industry, based in Mumbai is the largest
branch of Indian cinema.

The number of movies produced in India is the largest in the world. Approximately 23
million Indians go to see a film every day. According to a survey done by Earnest & Young,
more than 70% of the Indian Film Industry believe that the film business in India is expected to
grow by more than 15% in the next three years. Going forward with improvement in
distribution, exhibition infrastructure, the advent of digital cinema and better exploitation of
films, the industry is likely to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 18% to gross
$2244mn by this year. The overseas market has become increasingly lucrative for Indian
producers with most films realizing 15-20% of their income from overseas.

Entertainment & Media industry’s total revenue pie is estimated to grow at a compounded annual
rate (CAGR) of 19% to be worth Rs.83,740 crore by 2010. The current size of the industry
is about Rs.35,300 crore. The industry is estimated to outperform the country’s GDP growth
each year till 2010 according to the 2005 annual edition of FICCI – Price Waterhouse Coopers’
report on the Indian E & M industry. The study attributes this to economic growth,
rising income levels, consumerism, coupled with technological advancements and policy
initiatives taken by the government, that encourage inflow of investments into the sector.

Emergence of tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India holds a huge potential in the organized
film exhibition industry and the organized retail industry. It is estimated that by 2006 – 2007,
India will have a 91 million high consuming households, 74 million climbers and 15 million
aspirant households, which will fuel the demand for entertainment. Further nearly two thirds of
India’s population is below the age of 35 .

13
 The exhibition industry in India has over 12000 cinema screens with 13 screens per million head
of population, the lowest screen average in the world. India’s screen density is very low. A
combination of highly fragmented ownership, high entertainment tax rates, large cost of
setting up new theaters, and unavailability of organized funding has resulted in many such
theaters not being able to continuously upgrade or renovate their facilities, thus resulting in a
decline in the quality of such theaters.

Cinema industry also has undergone a change in culture & taste. Today no film can dream of 300
day run. The shelf life per film has drastically come down. If the film is good then, unfortunately
pirated CD market makes sure that it is seen across the entire geography. If the film is
bad, anyway nobody will come to theaters to watch it. Therefore piracy is a lose-lose situation.

Herein comes the basic logic of converting theaters into digital exhibition medium and
connecting it through satellite based networking. By the above, a new film can be
released across many locations without variable cost of prints and make the new content
available on the release day, in many locations, thereby solving supply issue of the content at the
right time. Non-availability of new content on the release day, at their respective nearby place,
is one of the major reasons for rampant piracy of films. The release of film in many locations
simultaneously, reduces risk of failure and reduces piracy. This move will also in one stroke
bring multiple content to theaters and theaters will no longer be just film exhibition centers but a
place where gamut of entertainment & education can be served.

Industry Facts:
 Revenue for 2004 was estimated at Rs. 59 billion (US$1.3 billion), which was less than
1% of global film industry revenue and a fraction of the U.S. Film industry revenue,
which was US$9.49 billion in 2003. (Source CII )
 Nearly 80% of Indian Industry revenues come from Domestic and Overseas
Theatrical.
 On the contrary US Film Industry earns only 35% from box office sales
and remaining 65% is derived from other revenue sources.
 This clearly signifies the onset and potential of Multiplexes in the India.

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 THE HISTORY OF BOLLYWOOD

1896 The Lumière brothers' films screened in Bombay's Watson Hotel.

1913 Dhundiraj Govind Phalke is seen as the father of the Indian cinema:
from his first work Raja Harishchandra (1913) onwards he
constantly filmed episodes from the great Indian epics – the
Mahabharata and Ramayana.
After 1920 The Indian film industry developed steadily; more and more
production companies were set up.
In 1931 India's first sound film was produced. Sound films helped the Indian
producers to find their feet properly; imported foreign films started
to be less important. The first sound films were also produced in
Bengali, Tamil and Telugu in southern India and Bengal in the same
year.In the thirties, three producers (Prabhat, Bombay Talkies, New
Theatres) were predominant in making popular yet socially critical
films.

1945 The period during the Second World War and Indian Independence
was an important phase for the Indian cinema. Many unforgettable
films were made in these years.
1952 Saw the first Indian film festival in Bombay. The Bengali filmmaker
Satayajit Ray completely altered Western perception of Indian films
with “Pather Panchali“ : this was the first Indian film to win
international recognition at European film festivals.
In subsequent years the Indian film industry concentrated on light
entertainment. This and above all the increasing importance of stars
changed the industry considerably.

1964 The legendary director, producer and actor Raj Kapoor came to
Switzerland for the first time to shootSangam
1970 In the seventies the mainstream cinema produced mainly action
films.
1989 Meera Nair wins the Golden Camera at the Cannes film festival for
her first film Salaam Bombay.
1995 Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, most of which was
filmed in Switzerland, was the year's greatest success, and this
brought a lot of imitators on to the scene.
1997 Advent of multiplexes

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 THE PROBLEMS FACED BY THE INDUSTRY

 Indiscipline among filmmakers. This made the industry fragmented and disorganized.
 Piracy leading to massive losses for the industry.
 Lack of resources in terms of finance, human etc.
 Lack of corporatized management. Limited studio space and lack of security lending
to an expensive foreign locales resulting in drain of resources.
 Reluctance of financial institutions to fund non asset based ventures
 Lack of expertise to handle latest equipments.

 SWOT ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY

 Strengths

 Entertainment is one of the most booming sectors in India due to its vast customer
reach& a large customer base.
 The growing middle class with higher disposable income has become the strength
of the Entertainment industry.
 Change in the lifestyle and spending patterns of the Indian masses on
entertainment.
 Technological innovations like online distribution channels, web-stores, multi-
and mega-plexes are complementing the ongoing revolution and the growth of the
sector.
 Indian film industry is second largest in the world and the largest in terms of the
films produced and tickets sold.
 The low cost of production and high revenues ensure a good return on investment
for Indian Entertainment industry.
 Multiplexes with primes location with high average ticket price & strong brand
equity.

 Weaknesses

 The Entertainment sector in India is highly fragmented.

 The lack of efforts for media penetration in lower socio-economic classes, where
the media penetration is low.

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  The film exhibition business’s fortunes depend on the success of the films they
are showing
 Rapid development of digital technology and the advancement in the broadband
and networking space
 Low margins and seasonal factors in the movie exhibition

 Opportunities

 The Indian film industry is the largest film industry in the world in terms of
number of films produced and tickets sold each year expecting growth will be
continue in upcoming years in to producing movies.
 The concept of crossover movies has helped open up new doors to the crossover
audience and offers immense potential for development.
 The increasing interest of the global investors in the sector.
 The media penetration is poor among the poorer sections of the society, offering
opportunities for expansion in the area.
 Rise in the viewer ship and the advertising expenditure.
 Technological innovations like animations, multiplexes, etc and new distribution
channels like mobiles and Internet .

 Threats

 Piracy, violation of intellectual property rights poses a major treat to the Media
and Entertainment companies.
 Lack of quality content has emerged as a major concern because of the 'Quick-
buck' route being followed in the industry.
 With technological innovations taking place so rapidly, the media sector is facing
considerable uncertainty about success in the marketplace.
 Increased competition from other entertainment sources like IPL, affecting
occupancy rates in Theatre.
 High Real Estate price is a huge barrier to profitability of this sector.

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 UNTAPPED MARKET
India's craze for films has not been fully exploited by the "Film Exhibition" industry due to
the lack of screen density in the country coupled with the poor quality of screens.

"Films" has been one of the integral components of the Indian entertainment industry
contributing nearly 27% of the total revenues of the entertainment industry. Besides,
films also contribute to other components of the entertainment industry like music, television and
live entertainment. The Indian film industry is one of the most complex and fragmented national
film industries in the world comprising of a number of regional film industries like Hindi,
Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and others. The Hindi film industry is the most popular among them.

Though India produces the largest number of films in the world (Approximately 1000 per year),
it accounts for only 1% of the global film industry revenues. In spite of being over 90 years old,
the Indian film industry was accorded the status of industry only in 2000. Over the years, the
Indian film industry has been highly unorganized as film financing was dependent on private and
individual financing at extremely high interest rates. Only recently, the industry has got
access to organized finance. With vertical integration taking place between producers,
distributors, exhibitors, broadcasters and music company’s corporatization is now taking shape
in the Indian film industry. We believe, that corporatization, will bring about transparency,
accountability and consolidation which will help to improve the overall profitability of the
Indian film industry as well as reduce
piracy and leakages which presently account for 14% of the Indian film industry's revenues.

TREMENDOUS SCOPE
Film exhibition forms the most important component of the Indian film industry.
According to the - KPMG report domestic theatrical revenues contributes 57% of
the total Rs59bn film industry revenues and are expected to grow at 17%. Overall,
the Indian film industry is expected to grow at 16% CAGR it is expected to reach
Rs143bn in 2010. The main pockets for film exhibition in India are Delhi, Mumbai
and South India. Due to various regional language film industries in the South, it
has become an important film exhibition pocket. Hyderabad and Bangalore are 2
southern cities where occupancies are exceptionally high at around 70%-80%.

The opening of the film industry to foreign investment coupled with the granting
of industry status to this segment has had a favorable impact,
leading to many global production units entering the country.

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 CORPORATIZATION OF INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY
The trend of corporatization of the Indian film industry, considered to be one of the most
important aspects for the growth of the industry, continued to gather momentum in 2006.
Some of the key indicators of corporatization in 2006 include:The IPOs of production house:
Like UTV and Saregama in 2005, 2006 witnessed the IPOs of Prime Focus Ltd. and K
Sera Sera Productions Company. Percept Picture Company received funding from Bennett &
Coleman.

Several companies entered into long term contracts: with directors and
actors to secure their content pipeline . Industry sources also indicate that more than half of
the releases in 2006 were by corporate rather than individuals. Corporate are also
establishing their presence in the film distribution space with media conglomerates like
UTV Software, Sahara Group and Eros International entering this segment.

GLOBALIZATION OF INDIAN CINEMA

Today, Indian cinema is becoming increasingly westernized. This trend is most strongly
apparent in Bollywood. Newer Bollywood movies sometimes include Western actors (such as
Rachel Shelley in Lagaan), try to meet Western production standards, conduct filming
overseas, adopt some English in their scripts or incorporate some elements of Western- style
plots. However, the meeting between west and India is a two-way process: Western
audiences mostly of Indian origin are becoming more interested in India. The earnings from
overseas market have wooed the Indian Filmmakers. The films are specially targeted to
woo the overseas audience. The market is enough to get return on investment. The Indian actors
and other film personalities become global stars. On the contrary, Western producers are funding
maverick Indian filmmakers . The Hollywood film personality has started eying on Indian
Film market respectfully.

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 FILM SCREENING
A film screening is the displaying of a film, as part of its production and release cycle,
before it is widely released to movie theaters. In general, "screening" applies to showing
under special circumstances: either the environment or purpose will be different than that
experienced by a mass market moviegoer. To show the film to best advantage, screenings can
occur in plush, low seat-count theaters with very high quality (sometimes especially certified)
projection and sound equipment, and can be accompanied by food and drink and spoken remarks
by producers, writers, or actors. Screenings typically occur outside normal theatrical showing
hours. The different types of screenings are presented here in rough chronological order of their
use:

Types of screenings:

 Critic screenings occur for national and major market critics well in advance of print
and television production-cycle deadlines, and are usually by-invitation-only. When a
studio anticipates negative critical reviews, this step is frequently skipped; the studio
instead relies on advertising, in-theater previews, word-of-mouth, and
established knowledge of the target audience for the success of the film.

 Private screenings are provided for investors, marketing and distribution

representatives, and VIP media figures.

 Premier screenings are provided for well-wishers from the film industry including
actors, actress, film financer, and producer, distributor, invited VIP guests etc.

 Film festival It is the presentation or showcasing of films in one or more movie

theaters or screening venues. The films are usually of a recent date and, depending
upon the focus of the individual festival, can include major international releases as
well as those made outside a country's established film industry. Sometimes there is a
focus on a specific genre or subject .

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 MULTIPLEX
Multiplex constitute only 2.3% of about 11,000 cinema halls in India, but they collect around
28% to 34% of the box office collection for the top 50 films in 2007. More than 300 additional
multiplexes with 300 screens are slated to commence operations by end of 2009, a growth rate of
80-100% . An increase in the number of multiplex screens should result in an increase in film
exhibition revenues, so the opening of new multiplexes represents a significant growth
opportunity for the industry.India needs approximately 20,000 screens to cater the entire cinema
viewing population.

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 EMERGENCE OF MULTIPLEX IN INDIA
In 1979, world’s first multiplex ‘Eaton Center’ in Toronto, Canada was opened for the
general public. In 1997 PVR established, first multiplex in India – PVR , New Delhi. The
PVR changed the Indian movie exhibition landscape. Movie exhibition till mid nineties was
dominated by Cinema halls – the traditionally single screen halls. Cinema halls witnessed
a surge of customers mostly during the festive season and on weekends. The emergence of
multiplexes changed the movie exhibition business in India. Today, all eyes in the entertainment
industry have turned towards multiplexes, as they generate a larger share of revenue though
they accommodate less number of seats per theater.

The emergence of new multiplexes has reduced the audience for traditional cinemas. The
multiplex business is not only prompting traditional cinema theater owners to convert their
property into multiplex but in recent times has also attracted many international players to
venture into the business. No wonder the multiplex business is so lucrative that foreign
entertainment giants like Time Warner, South Korean multiplex operator Megabox, and
Australia’s Hoyts are in talks with real estate developers such as the DLF group, the Raheja
Group and Sobha Developers to set up chains of multiplexes across the country. New players are
trying to enter this sector and the existing players are busy expanding their horizons. In recent
times the multiplex has gone beyond the metros to redefine entertainment in Tier 1 and Tier 2
cities like Lucknow, Indore, Nasik, Aurangabad, Kanpur, Amritsar. The good news for most of
the movie exhibitors is that at present roughly 70 percent of the total box office collections in
the country come from non-metros.

These multiplex has multiple screen movie theater complex which also offers lifestyle
shopping. It offers brand new experience of watching movies. Today multiplex are
considered not just a part of the entertainment, it is an opportunity for family outing which
include movies, shopping, dining out, gaming parlors, buying books, buying groceries, etc. Most
of the multiplexes malls in India have common structure, which believes structure of the ideal
multiplex. Ideal multiplex malls have a four to five floors with various leisure and recreation
options for customers. The top floor has multiplex and rest of the floors offer facilities.
The structure of the multiplex mall explores the consumer psychology, where customers
who come with the intention of watching a movie are made to pass all the floors in the shopping
mall. It increases the possibility of their making some impulsive purchases. Moreover, the
multiplexes do not allow outside food and beverages into the movie theaters which offer them
opportunities to sale of their own products at a premium.

The decade old Indian multiplex industry has definitely changed the movie exhibition industry in
India. The multiplex industry, in India, is still in an early growth stage, and is way behind the
size and scale reached in the developed countries.

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 SCOPE OF MULTIPLEX

The cinema exhibition industry in India is growing at 10% per annum driven by multiplexes,
which are expanding rapidly in major metropolitan cities as well as second and third tier cities.
Favorable demographics in a cinema-crazy nation, tax exemptions, and quality
locations such as malls, are driving growth of multiplexes in India. Most of the multiplexes in
India are anchor tenants in the large format malls making a favorite destination for the
youngsters as well as the families. Multiplexes captured the market as complete family
entertainment centers. The digital revolution has helped the Media and Entertainment
industry to go digital. There are more than 100 digital cinemas in India today.

They have completely transformed the experience of the viewers. With an increase in the
incomes of the people and increasing expenditure on the leisure activities, multiplexes are poised
for high growth in India. Other than the sale of the movies tickets, Food & beverages is the
major source of revenue for the multiplexes. Space economies and the optimal utilization of the
capacities are the major advantages or benefits that the multiplexes enjoy over single screen
theatres.

WHY IS THERE A MULTIPLEX BOOM?

In India there are about 20,000 theatres and there is a plenty of space and resources for an
equivalent number of theatres to be started all over. Thus, there is a high growth rate for the
multiplexes in the entertainment industry. Due to the high growth rate of the multiplex industry;
various benefits are provided by the government such as overall tax concessions, reduction in
entertainment tax and so on in order to motivate the industry person. Some of the other factors
involved are given below:

 Aspirations: There is a huge group of people who are very ambitious and have a status
symbol (premium or the top class) or desire to possess it. Thus, these groups of people
prefer to have an edge over others (middle and lower class) by viewing movies in a
multiplex rather than a single screen theatre as it is a matter of pride and honor for them.
 Attitudinal Change: Gone are the days when one used to think about saving the money
by not going to the theatre along with the family to watch a movie and instead go out for
a picnic to enjoy the whole day. Gradually, this concept has changed now because if a
person plans to spend his whole day for enjoyment along with his family,

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 then multiplexes are the best option as they have everything from shopping
stores to restaurants, cafeteria, games corner and so on.
 Combination of various facilities: The concept of satisfying the consumer under one
common roof is growing rapidly all over the world. Thus there are two
types of combinations found;
 One is a “Mall with a Multiplex”. E.g. ‘R Mall has a multiplex ‘R Adlabs’
within itself. Recently, Mukta A2 Adlabs too opened its new multiplex in
Malad within the mall named “Inorbit”.
 Second is a “Multiplex with shopping facilities and various Amenities” within
its roof. E.g. Imax Adlabs is a multiplex having within its games arena,
cafeteria and other such amenities. Also, a person can shop during the
promotional activities carried out by various companies within the multiplex
and take advantage of various benefits and offers provided by them.

The relationship between the multiplexes and the malls is referred as the
“Synergy Effect”. It thus helps in satisfying the consumer with the required amount
of amenitiesand facilities needed by bringing all the required resources under one
common roof. This helps the consumer to enjoy his whole day at one common place
instead of planning to go to various places in order to shop, dine and have fun with
his family members.

 Provides employment facilities even for those who are not involved directly:
This is one of the interesting cases found in the multiplexes. There are
many departments involved in the smooth functioning of the multiplex such as
Human Resource, Marketing, Food & Beverages, Administration and so on. All
these departments are employed directly as per the requirements. Now, there is
also a lot of employment scope for those people who are not involved directly in the
multiplex industry. Many of the multiplexes that have huge space such as Imax
Adlabs organize many events such as children’s day, teacher’s day, child festival
and so on. Thus, to organize such events many people from outside are involved
such as decorators, musicians, caterers who indirectly gets employed.
 More number of screens: This is one of the most important reasons for the
multiplex boom. These are more screens, roughly 3-5, when compared to the normal
movie theater (Single Screen). As there are many screens in the multiplex, people get
a huge variety and range of movies to view. Also, the movie timings are flexible and
thus a customer can view any movie of their choice as per their availability and
convenience. Due to this the turnover of audiences as compared to the single screen
theatres are relatively very high.
 Risk minimization: Also, the benefit that the multiplex has over the single screen
movie theatre is the ‘risk minimization’ factor. The multiplex has various
partners, various company collaborations, and thus they work together to achieve

24
 the goals set up by the organization. Also, the risk is minimized when the space is let
out to various corporate organizations such as Reliance, Vodafone, HDFC,
and so on for various product and promotional launches.

Such has been the runaway success of this cinema viewing experience that today, even
though multiplexes make up just 2% of India’s nearly 11500 screens, they account for
more than half the box office revenue of Hollywood releases in the country and more than a
third for Bollywood. That success, however, has not been limited to the glitzy
cinema halls.Industry analysts say that multiplexes, with their smaller halls, have
also redefined filmmaking by creating a niche for experimental cinema among urban,
educated audiences.

Multiplexes, where ticket prices are five times that at a single-screen cinema, ensure a faster
return on investment for producers and, because of quick turnarounds, have become
instrumental in raising the output of films, he said. “The idea now is to recover
investments within the first weekend,” said Bose, who has authored several books on
Bollywood.

The multiplex industry is expected to grow more than 44% to $220 million by next year,
according to a recent report by brokerage B&K Securities. The overall Indian film
industry, now worth about $2 billion, is expected to grow to $4.3 billion by 2011, Ficci
says.
While more and more single-screen cinemas are converting to multiplexes in cities, they still
remain the entertainment mainstay for millions in small towns and villages. They are
also popular with the urban poor because of their cheaper tickets. Analysts say high
ticket prices have also meant that average occupancy levels in multiplexes have hovered at
around 40%. They say that as multiplexes mushroom and begin cutting into each
other’s territories, occupancy levels could plummet to 30%. “This could mean the
multiplex boom is a bubble that will burst unless ticket prices are brought down,”

Multiplexes earn lot more from other revenue sources as compared to box office collections.
However, due to the role of PULL creator that the movies play in this scenario, overall
returns are highly correlated to Box office contribution. Most multiplex projects breakeven at an
occupancy rate of 40-45%. This figure may vary as per the maintenance standards of various
theaters and the revenue streams running parallel to it. Real estate is the major cost component
and a strategic resource for the multiplex business. Typical built up area required per seat is
around 30 sq. ft. and average no. of seats per seats per screen is around 250-400 as compared to
single screen cinemas which have capacities in the range of 800-1,200 seats.

A recent trend in multiplex operations has witnessed the proliferation of multiplexes in to non-
metro urban centers of the country. The primary targets in this include Pune, Baroda, Indore,
Ahmadabad and Jaipur. The stiff competition that is likely to intensify with the coming up of so
many multiplexes does not seem to worry any of the players. No doubt the industry is likely to
witness a few shake-outs with the indiscriminate mushrooming of multiplexes, but the
ones with a prominent chains and proper financial backing will hold their ground.With
multiplexes came the multiplex style of management: plush seats, superior sound

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quality, add-ons - all at a price, of course. Consumerism has always existed.
Today multiplexes are offering better facilities to a section of the audience that can afford it.

Theatre owners are not allowed to change the nature of their business unless they retain 33
per cent of the original number of seats in their new enterprise. Further, the government has not
considered the fact that not everyone can afford to watch a film in a multiplex considering the
high rates of admission. This will only promote a backdoor boost to video piracy.

 Other Multiplex growth drivers

 Multiplexes have access to prime locations as a large number of mall developers are
considering setting up movie theaters to attract footfalls in the mall. Multiplex
operators are emerging as anchor tenants for malls and are therefore being offered
attractive rental rates.

 Occupancies in multiplexes are higher as compared to single screen cinemas as the

seating capacity per screen in a multiplex is less than that of a single screen.

 Different screens in a multiplex have different seating capacities. The multiplex

operator can therefore choose to show movies on a larger or smaller screen based on
the expected potential of a film. Besides the multiplex operator can also choose to
show movies on larger screens in the first few weeks of release and later continue to
show this film on a smaller screen.

 Multiplex operators can charge different prices depending on the time and popularity
of the film.

 Multiplex operators use common manpower for several screens and hence have better
cost efficiencies.

 Multiplex operators can offer a wide range of food and beverages as multiple screens
use common food and beverage facilities. This wide range helps in increasing the
F&B spend per patron.

 Multiplex operators can achieve significant operating efficiencies due to better film
management and common vendor relationships.Due to the large number of screens,
multiplex operators have better bargaining power with distributors.

 Entertainment tax, levied by the state, is the main levy on the exhibition industry. This
varies from 30% to 100% of the net ticket price from state to state. Recently certain
states have announced entertainment tax holidays for newly constructed multiplexes.
This is likely to increase the profitability for these multiplexes.

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 Film production is presently going through a wonderful phase as far as supply of
funds is concerned. This space has been attracting a lot of attention because of its
inherently strong fundamentals. A number of players with deep pockets have entered
this space, which should keep the content pipeline robust over the coming years. In
this year so far, an investment pipeline of $1.7bn has been announced in this
space. Producers are now flush with cash and are no longer overly dependent on
informal sources of funding. This trend will continue in the medium-term and supply
of content will not be a problem for multiplexes. Moreover, ticket sale
reporting is far more transparent in multiplexes than in single-screen theatres.
This results in higher film revenues for producers.

 The shelf life of a movie has dramatically reduced from a few months earlier to
merely a 1-2 week window now. This has significantly reduced the time window
within which producers / distributors can monetize the movie and recover their
costs. Multiplexes, with multiple screens, have far more flexibility in scheduling
of movies, which enables them to exhibit multiple shows of a single movie
simultaneously, thereby helping distributors recover a majority of the anticipated
revenues from the film during the first week itself.

 Today, multiplexes are contributing 35-40% to the overall domestic box office
collections with less than 5% of the total screens under operation. The format is
highly relevant for the distributors and none of them can afford to bypass it and still
make money on films.

 Hollywood films are increasingly finding acceptance in India, making India the fifth-
largest market of Hollywood films in Asia and the 15th largest market for
Hollywood globally. An increasing number of Hollywood films are being released in
India in multiple languages with greater number of prints . The number of foreign
films released in India is set to grow, especially with large studios such as
Yash Raj Films foraying into foreign film distribution. It is expected trend to
benefit the multiplex industry in terms of ensuring a steady content.

 Multiplexes are often regarded as the footfall magnets for malls. The concept of
shopping-cum-dining- cum-entertainment outing is gaining popularity among
the urban populace, where multiplexes in malls become the most relevant
destination choice. Almost all upcoming malls have a multiplex operator as an
anchor tenant. Hence, the supply of real estate will not be an issue for the
sector, even though the pace might be slow due to development delays. India is
presently witnessing a retail revolution with many big players foraying into organized
retail and many mall development plans being announced in order to cater to their
expansion plans. The pace of mall development will surely ensure availability of
quality real estate .

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 India is a highly favorable country for consumer industries with all the
key indicators pointing towards higher consumer spends in the coming years. It
has seen its per capita income doubling in the last 6 years, it has more than 60% of
its people under the age of 60, urbanization and exposure to western lifestyle is
rising, all leading towards increasing consumerism in the coming decade. In the
buoyant times; people tend to spend more on the leisure based consumption. For the
multiplex sector, the target group is in the age group of 15-30 years of age, which
visits the theaters more often than others.

 India is an entertainment hungry nation, and the major sources of entertainment are
cricket and Bollywood. More than 3.3bn tickets are sold in India annually, this makes
us the most cinemas going population in the world. Most of the single screen
theatres are run by single proprietor, often without proper operational
management skills. Moreover, because of the poor quality of prints supplied to
the single screen theatres in the rural areas, footfalls have been coming down. On
top of it, these screens are not eligible for entertainment tax exemptions. These
factors have eroded the viability of these screens resulting in poor infrastructure
spend whichfurther reduces footfalls.

 With the entry of multiplexes, which provide better quality movie watching
experience at a higher price compared to single screen theaters, more and more
middle income group people are coming back to the theatres thus unlocking a latent
demand. This is a classic case of leisure consumption winning over value
proposition in India. As content supply booms, more and more people will turn to
multiplexes because of the rising willingness of people to pay for such services.

 There is enough space for more multiplex projects given the quantum of demand and
lack of supply in the sector. Our preliminary analysis suggests that at national level
and considering only the urban population demand in the age group of 15-30 years,
662 multiplexes with 3 screens per property i.e. 2000 screens can operate at 35%
capacity. All of the multiplex players combined are operating only 500 screens at
present.

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 Growth drivers for multiplex in tier2 and tier3 cities-

 Favorable demographic changes.

 Increase in disposable income with expanding Indian middle class people.

 Organized retail boom.

 Entertainment tax benefits for multiplex cinemas.

 Good quality of hindi cinemas.

Drawbacks of a Multiplex

 Multiplexes charge a 30%-50% premium on ticket prices as against standalone

cinemas. This is one the major drawbacks of multiplex operators as multiplexes attract
only a section of the society consisting of the Rich and Upper Middle class. The
premium charged by multiplexes is for the better ambience as well the high quality
audio and visual effects.

 In certain areas, multiplexes have become a cause for traffic jams. People residing near
multiplexes find this to be a nuisance. To set up a multiplex, a series of approvals and
licenses have to be acquired by the mall developer as well the multiplex operator. This
is due to the heavy regulation imposed by state governments. These regulatory issues
are a cause of concern as they cause delays in setting up a multiplex.

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  Multiplex are a source of increasing pollution and consumption of limited valuable
natural resources.

 Multiplex business requires huge financial investment and is very risky as multiplexes
often succumb to their losses due to less footfalls , less patronage , less business , etc
especially in recessionary times .

 The Major Players

Multiplex, in India is witnessing unprecedented growth. A few big corporate house have
already entered the business and others are planning to venture in the business through
acquire existing players. However, industry experts rule out any consolidation in the
industry. They believe market is still in the growth stage and there are enough opportunities
for the existing players. In current scenario competition is heating up among the existing
players. Adlabs, Q CINEMA, IOX, Fun, Mukta A2, DT Cinema, Satyam Cineplexes have
chalked out big expansion plans to increase the number of screens in the next few years to
get better share of movie revenues.

These include nationwide

 Q CINEMA
 Fun cinemas
 E city
 Maxx Cinema
 PVR
 Mukta A2
 Cineplex

A TYPICAL MULTIPLEX

 Multi Screens: A normal multiplex has 4 screens with 8-10 movies running
so that customer can choose the desired movie.
 Ticketing options: The ticketing options in multiplexes are very systematic
as compared to a normal single screen theatre. There are lots of options
available for booking the tickets such as advance booking, home
delivery, internet booking, tele- booking and current booking. Thus, one
doesn’t has to spend a lot of time in booking a ticket as there are various
options available.
 Cafeteria: The multiplexes also have cafeteria in their vicinity
which gives the consumers limited options to satisfy their hunger and thirst
as quickly as possible during the screening of the movies.

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  Entertainment: Entertainment facilities are available for the children
within the multiplex arena in the form of games arcade, fun house etc. Also,
special events such as Valentine’s Day, Friendship Day and many more
are organized which entertain the teenagers.
 Malls: The invent of malls within the multiplex and vice versa has
madeshopping easier as everything can be done under a common roof, from
enjoying to shopping, dining etc.
 Restaurants: They also form a part and parcel of the multiplex and satisfy the
consumers with wide range of food and beverages.

AIM OF EVERY MULTIPLEX

 To appeal to a wider audience as possible to increase viewing and therefore profit. To

accommodate all different walks of society.

 To increase how often people go to the cinema.

 Mainly specialises in main stream films because they are the ones society is most aware
of due to the media and this is why they mainly specialise in general genres such as
comedy , romance , family , action and adventure and steer clear of controversial films
to prevent offence and secure viewing.

 Not always to make a profit but also due to contracts have to show films for a certain
amount of time due to the demands of distributors and film companies.

MARKETING MEDIA CHANNELS FOR COMMUNICATION

 Print
Print media such as Newspaper, magazines, journals, pamphlets, poster etc.at he time of
release of movie, these media are used to advertise intensively. E.g. Bombay Times, Mid-
day.

 Radio
Second most used medium. Multiplexes attract customers by various contests on Radio.
Leading Radio stations Radio Mirchi, Radio City etc

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 Web
Personal website for multiplex is used by firm to market the movie. Promotional activities
and the new happenings along with new releases information is being constantly provided on
website. Bookings are also done on website.

 SMS
New trend setup by multiplex is use of mobile sms for marketing. The database of numbers is
compiled by collecting phone nos. from the customer who watch movies. And then any
promotional things, new release movies, reminder to customers is been done via sms.

 Hoardings
This is used to recall customers about the movies being screened at multiplex. Thus along
with multiplex are also promoted. Hoardings are placed both at populated place and in
multiplex which attract customers.

 Tie-ups:
Multiplex has tie-ups only when it has promotional activities to be conducted within its
premises. It works with the company that is promoting and markets both the company’s
product as well as officials of multiplex.

 Public relation:
This activity supports all the activities which are used to promote multiplex. Writing and
giving any promotion and it take care of any misunderstanding between consumer and
multiplex.

 In –House Branding:
This promotional activities been taken in the premises of multiplex. Different sections like,
entertainment area, cafe area and dome area and so on. Every section tries their best to retain
the viewer.

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 MARKETING STRATEGIES

 Entertainment Marketing
Marketing of entertainment services is referred as entertainment marketing.
Entertainment services include screening of movies, their premiers, press & media
required special screening of movie show & also different types of eatables served within
the multiplex is divided into two types namely:

 Movie Marketing: this is one of the most important areas which is marketed &
helps in creating a brand image for the company. The main focus is to market
the movies that are big screened along with creating & making aware the
people about the multiplex. Also during such premier’s press & various media
channels are invited to cover the whole premier event which has a positive
effect on the multiplex. As stars are called for the premiers of special movies
along with outside people, this act as s “synergy effect” and thus more & more
number of people become aware about the multiplex and its day to day
activities. All above this with the help of various media channels, huge &
extensive advertising is done for the movies which add to the recall value on
the minds of the people.

 Café Marketing: This is an altogether new concept started and undertaken by

multiplexes for marketing its movies. It basically helps in promoting its
movies with thehelp of eatables sold in the cafeteria within the premises of the
multiplex. Here the eatables are named after the movies & various film stars
during the release of much hyped & successful movies.

 Special Events Marketing: the positive point that multiples gains over others
is that along with the screening of various movies it also screens special event
such as F1, cricket matches, various documentaries and social messages that
are to be passed in community. Multiplex also organize celebration of
religious festivals as well as special days such as valentine day, friendship
day, Independence Day & republic day & events.It arranges for many events
& birthday parties as per the customers’demands.

 Tie up With Various Corporate: Multiplex has tie-up with many corporate
associates as they help each other in their day to day activities. Both of these
go hand in hand. Their relationship is of “give & take” type; it is like the
corporates organize or host the events that are conducted in the multiplex & in
turn the multiplex gives it sales indirectly.

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  Movie Shootings & Advertisements: Multiplex also allows shootings for
movies & advertisements as it helps to publicize & create a brand name for
itself. Movie shootings advertisements take place here because of the ambient
factors & also space the surrounding. Also it acts as a business activity as the
movie makers are not given the premises free of cost.

 Special Screening of Hollywood Movies: A new concept started by many

multiplex is the screening of Hollywood movies at their theatres. These
special screenings are referred as “Midnight Matinees”. Midnight Matinees is
another innovative attempt on the part of multiplex to combine various
elements of leisure & partying with cinema viewing.

MULTIPLEX V/S SINGLE SCREENS IN INDIA

A lotof such cinema halls / theaters were set upover 30-50 years back, largely by local
entrepreneurs and businessmen. A combination of highly fragmented ownership, high
entertainment tax rates, large cost of setting up new theaters, and unavailability of organized
funding has resultedin many suchtheaters notbeing able to continuously upgrade or renovate
their facilities, thus resulting in a decline in the quality of such theaters.

However over the last 5-7 years, factors such as strong economic growth, falling interest
rates, increased interest in real estate development, increased consumption levels, etc. have
resulted in a large boom in the Organized Retail sector in India. A number of large organized
retail outlets have been trying to attract large footfalls by building in attractive properties such as
branded food & apparel outlets as well as theater chains. In fact, movie theaters – especially the
new format multiplexes which provide high quality viewing experience – are fast expanding in
numbers with newly added attractions and stores offering various products and services.

 Demands of Single screen theatre Owners

 Entertainment Tax reduction.

 Hike in service charge.
 Exit policy (The business could not wind up).
 Electricity at concessional rates.

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  Abolition of show tax imposed by municipal bodies.
 De-linking of Property Tax from box-office collections.
 Exemption on taxes for film hoardings in theatre premises.

With multiplex industry’s soaring business and ominous presence, can the single screen
cinema halls sustain its business, is the biggest buzz. Single screen theatres and talkies in the
city are a passé now. They are inconspicuously disappearing into oblivion in the wake of
rampant multiplex culture. Besides the government ordinance which ensures a
complete entertainment tax waiver and concessions to multiplexes, the populace audience
also has deserted the single screens. The nature of multiplex entertainment, which offers
video arcades, bowling alleys andpool parlors spiced up with their lavish and multi-cuisine
food courts, does ensure that the audience is lured towards its glitterati.

FAREWELL, SINGLE SCREEN

So what if multiplexes constitute just 1% of the total number of cinema halls, and 4-5% of the
12,900 screens, in India, the industry is talking about the end of single screens. Single
screens, with their low quality ambience, would find it tough to survive in the long run, it is felt.
But over a period of time, theatres will die a natural death. This is because there isa rising
demand for quality cinema exhibition infrastructure. Also, before long, digitization will be the
industry standard and exhibitors will have to shift to it. Though the propensity to watch movies
in India is high, there is a big gap in terms of quality- viewing experience between the
metros and the smaller cities. Now, increasing property prices is a big concern, of course. But
most multiplex owners have tied up properties for at least the next couple of years. Also, being
the anchor tenants in a mall, they are always offered special rates by developers.It's the same for
other top players as well. One of the key focus areas is also expansion to smaller towns, with
populations of up to five lakh (500,000). Property prices in these places have been
comparatively stable, which makes these cities more attractive. So, at least on the surface, there's
nothing much to stop the multiplex boom. The coming of age of direct-to-home services like
movie-on-demand and live gaming are unlikely to make the millions of fans across a country of
fanatic fans resist the first day-first show temptation of Bollywood.

SEGMENTATION, TARGETING AND POSITIONING

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 Segmentation
 Geographic segmentation:
Region: South India includes Chennai, Bangalore, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka etc. West
India includes Mumbai, Haryana, Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan etc., North
India includes Punjab, Delhi, MP, UP, Bihar, Haryana etc., and East India includes
Kolkata, West Bengal. City: class 1, class 2, metros. Population: population over 20000.
Over 50000, over 100000 etc.

 Demographic segmentation
Age: Current Population: 1 billion+ (1,080,264,388) growing
between1.4% to 1.8% annually. Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.2%, 15-64
years: 63.9%, 65 years and over: 4.9%. Median age: 24.66 years . A younger
population tends to have higher aspirations, and will spend more as it enters
the earning phase.

 Segmentation factors

 Urban consumer’s shopping basket is changing:Within the overall private final

consumption expenditure there are category shifts happening in urban
consumption pattern. A study by KSA Technopak, India shows that urban
consumers have increased their expenditure on leisure & entertainment.
Spends on eating out, movies and theater, and books and music has increased
the most. At the same time urban consumers’ saving and investment has
reduced from 14% to 5.2 %.

 Increase in Disposal Income :Multiplexes generally cater to high and

Middle income Groups, with an increase in the number of households
within this earning group, will result to higher consumption and
spending patterns. Similarly migration of households from lower income to
middle income levels will further drive the consumption patterns. Urban
consumers have increased their expenditure on leisure & entertainment.
Simultaneously spends on eating out, movies and theater, and books and
music will increase.

 Changing Demographic profile: India is witnessing a significant change in the

age profile of its’ over 1bn population, which is likely to lead to accelerated
consumption over the next few years. India has a median age of 24 years for
its population against 36 years for the USA and 30 years for China. A
younger population tends to have higher aspirations, and will spend more

36
 as it enters the earning phase. The owners mostly divide the films as per the
category of films i.e. they mostly show the movies which are more
successful in screens like animation movies at morning shows only. After
that they show all family type movies or adult movies at night.

 Targeting
Companies now are mostly targeting teenagers i.e. college going students, which are
capturing hearts of all who like to watch movies in theatres. They keep cheap price
for tickets during the morning shows and the price is increasing as time in a
day passes. This usually attracts the youngsters and people who work at night shift. The
different schemes are framed to increase the sales on Tuesday to Thursday where the
sales goes down. The rates of ticket high for new release and when there are any hit
movies running on Saturday and Sunday.

 Positioning
Cinemas have acquired a very good position in the viewer’s mind. It usually attracts all
the age groups as they provide good services. Cinemas are located at many places but
the public is more attracted towards Mall. Within a short period of time they have
attained goodwill in the market.

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 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

 Impact of multiplexes
Author – Vishnu Parashar
Objective – To study impact of multiplexes on the society

He has explained the growth drivers in the multiplex industry and also the major players
present right now . He has also discussed the risks and concerns associated with
multiplex business . He has also given an outline of the costs and business models
followed by multiplexes .

 Working of multiplexes
Author- MrunmayeeBhave
Objective – to understand working of multiplex

She has explained Emergence of Multiplexes in India ,Film Exhibition Business in India
and the Multiplex Boom . She has also compared Multiplex v/s Single Screen theaters
and given framework of Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning

 Customer preference and customer satisfaction survey of

multiplexes in Lucknow
Author - Shalini Singh
SachinAwasthi
Objective - Customer preference and customer satisfaction survey of multiplexes in
Lucknow

They have given outlines to PEST Analysis ,Service Marketing Mix , Service Marketing
Triangle for a multiplex . Their Basic Functional Areas , Risks and Concerns and
questionnaire design have also been explained in detail

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SUBJECT

Customer’s Preference and Customer Satisfaction for the Multiplexes in Sonipat.

PLACE
The Survey is been done on the 4 Multiplexes In Sonipat
• Mukta A2
• Carnival
• Q CINEMA
• MAXX CINEMA

DURATION
The Survey was done from March 2 TO 20, 2019

DATA COLLECTION
The views of the respondents were ascertained by means of a questionnaire. As far as possible,
persons with different age groups , occupations and educational backgrounds were selected as a
sample but the majority of the respondents are youth who constitute 93% of the total sample due to
the nature of the industry. I approached 150 people as a sample and the questionnaire was filled by
them.

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 MARKETING RESEARCH PROCESS

 Defining the problem

The problem area for me is the perception and preference of different customer segment for
different multiplexes and their services. To identify their weak point and to work on them
for the mutual benefit of both the multiplexes and the customer is the major use of the
marketing research. The decision problem faced by management must be translated into a
market research problem in the form of questions.

 Determine research design

The research design adopted by me was the CAUSAL DESIGN. Causal research seeks to
find cause and effect relationships between variables. It accomplishes this goal through
laboratory and field experiments.

 Identify data types and sources

 Secondary data may be obtained from the internet , multiplex website , survey reports.
 Primary data can be obtained by filling up questionnaires from the common public.

 Design data forms and questionnaires

The questionnaire is an important tool for gathering primary data. Poorly constructed
questions can result in large errors and invalidate the research data, so significant effort
should be put into the questionnaires design. The questionnaire should be tested
thoroughly prior to conducting the survey.

 Determine sample plan and size

The minimum sample size on which the survey was to be conducted was 25 .For my
project I asked 31 people who visited the various multiplexes in Sonipat between March
31 to April 5, 2012 to fill up the questionnaires.

 Data collection
 Data is collected both from primary source as well as secondary source.
 The primary source data was obtained by respondents filling the questionnaires
themselves .
 The secondary data was obtained from the respective multiplex's website and internet
portals.
 Data analysis
 Before analysis can be performed, raw data must be transformed into the right format.
 The data is tabulated to count the number of samples falling into various categories.
40
 RESEARCH FINDINGS

1. Age:-

age

Below 18 years
19-30 years
31-50 years
51 years & above

2. Gender:-

Gender

male
female

41
 3. Occupation:-

Occupation

student
service
business
housewife

Student of schools and colleges visit multiplexes more often than others . A major shift towards
multiplexes from single screen theatres can be seen here for watching movies .

4. Please rank the reasons for your choice ( 5 being most important , 1 being least )
a. Better sound and picture quality
b. Comfort
c. Value for money
d. Status symbol
e. Ticket prices

reasons for choice 1 Quality

most important
very important
important
less important
least important

42
Quality of picture and sound and the comfort offered were the top most reasons for
watching a movie in a multiplex.

reason for choice 2 comfort

most important
very important
important
less important
least important

reason for choice 3 value of

money

most important
very important
important
less important
least important

reason for choice 4 status

most important
very important
important
less important
least important

43
Status symbol is less important for consumers of multiplex

reason for choice 5 Ticket price

most important
very important
important
less important
least important

Ticket price is least important element for customers.

6. How often do you visit a Multiplex? (Choose Any 1 Option)

a. Weekly
b. Twice a month
c. Monthly
d. Twice a year
e. Yearly

frequently visit multiplexes

14
12
10
8
6 frequently visit
multiplexes
4
2
0
weekly Twice a Monthly twice a yearly
month year

44
 7. What is your monthly expenditure on movies ? (Choose Any 1 Option)

a. < 100
b. 100 – 300
c. 300 – 500
d. 500 – 700
e. 700 – 1000
f. > 1000

expenditure on movies
14

12

10

6 expenditure on movies
4

0
< 100 100-300 300-700 700-1000 >1000

8. Rank the multiplexes in descending order (4 being favorite , 1 being least )

Characteristic Carnival Mukta A2 Maxx Q
Cinema CINEMA
I. Picture and sound
Quality

II. Seat comfort

III. Air conditioning

IV. Food and refreshments

45
 V. Washroom facility

VI. Drinking water facility

VII. Staff behavior

VIII. Gaming zone

IX. Ticket booking

facilities

X. Shopping experience

XI. Security arrangement

XII. Parking facility

XIII. Value for money

XIV. Overall Ambience

Results ( No. of people who consider the best multiplex in each characteristic )

Characteristic Carnival Mukta A2 Maxx Q CINEMA

Cinema
I. Picture and sound 2 8 18 2
quality

II. Seat comfort 6 8 14 3

46
 III. Air conditioning 6 11 12 2

IV. Food and refreshments 6 10 12 3

V. Washroom facility 4 8 16 3

VI. Drinking water facility 8 10 11 2

VII. Staff behavior 6 8 13 4

VIII. Gaming zone 6 11 13 1

IX. Ticket booking 6 13 10 2

facilities

X. Shopping experience 4 5 18 5

XI. Security arrangement 4 10 14 3

XII. Parking facility 5 8 15 2

XIII. Value for money 5 8 16 2

XIV. Overall Ambience 2 10 18 5

47
 9. Which is your most preferred Multiplex in Sonipat? (Choose Any 1 Option)

Carnival Mukta A2 Maxx Cinema Q CINEMA

Prefered Multiplex
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6 Prefered Multiplex
4
2
0
Chandan Fame Inox PVR

10. Your suggestions (Choose Any 1 Option for each attribute)

Attribute Strongly Agree Don’t Know Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
Reduction in ticket
prices
More offers and
discounts

Ticket booking
convenience
Reduction in prices
of refreshments

48
 suggesting reduction in price

strongly agree
agree
don't know
Disagree
agree

suggesting more offers and discount

strongly agree
agree
don't know
disagree
strongly disagree

49
 suggesting on ticket booking
convience

strongly agree
agree
don't know
disagree
strongly disagree

suggesting on reduction in prices of

refreshments

Strongly agree
Agree
Don't know
Disagree
Strongly disagree

A lesser ticket price is what is most demanded by the customers interviewed as they feel agree.
Besides that very highly priced food and beverages are a headache for the customers

50
11. Which is the Multiplex which has given you highest overall satisfaction?

Carnival Mukta A2 Maxx Cinema Q CINEMA

Multiplex which has given you

highest overall satisfaction

Chandan
Fame
Inox
PVR

12. The reasons for your choice (Choose Any 1 Option for each attribute)

Attribute Highly Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly

Satisfied Dissatisfied
Overall
Entertainment
Physical
facilities

Service provided
by staff

51
attribute on overall entertainment

Higest satistaction
satisfaction
neutral
dissatisfaction
Highest dissatisfaction

attribute on physical facalities

Higest satistaction
satisfaction
neutral
dissatisfaction
Highest dissatisfaction

52
 attribute on service provided by staff

Higest satistaction
satisfaction
neutral
dissatisfaction
Highest dissatisfaction

Overall entertainment was the biggest factor in deciding about the multiplex giving satisfaction
as customers want a full movie experience that is best in every way. Personal touch through
behavior of staff was also important in shaping the outlook of the customer towards the
multiplex.

53
13. Do you think there is a need for a Drive – In theatre in Sonipat?( Choose Any 1 Option )

Strongly Agree Agree Don’t Know Disagree Strongly

Disagree

need for a Drive- In theatre

Higest satistaction
satisfaction
don't know
dissatisfaction
Highest dissatisfaction

14. Do you think single screen theatres have come to their end ? (Choose Any 1 Option )

Strongly Agree Agree Don’t Know Disagree Strongly

Disagree

single screening theatre has

come to their end
Higest satistaction

satisfaction

don't know

54
15. Do multiplexes have a bright future in India ? ( Choose Any 1 Option )

Strongly Agree Agree Don’t Know Disagree Strongly Disagree

bright future of multiplex in India

Higest satistaction
satisfaction
neutral
dissatisfaction
Highest dissatisfaction

55
 THE WINNER OF
“WAR OF MULTIPLEX”
IN SONIPAT

MAXX CINEMA
EVOLUTION
56
MAXX CINEMA was set up to carry out the business of setting up, operating and managing a
national chain of world class multiplexes under the brand name ‘MAXX CINEMA’.It opened its
first multiplex, the Pune Multiplex in May 10, 2002 and today has a wide presence across 7 cities
with 8Operational Units having 32 screens and around 9,290 seats.

Year Milestone
1999 Incorporated
2002 Launched multiplex at Pune Bund Garden and Sonipat with 4
screens each
2003 Launched multiplex at Kolkata, Elgin Road with 4 screens
2004 Launched multiplex at Kolkata Salt Lake with 4 screens
Launched multiplex at Goa, Panaji with 4 screens (hosted the
International Film Festival of India)
Launched multiplex at Nariman Point, with 5 screens
2005 Launched multiplex at Bangalore with 5 screens
Launched multiplex at Jaipur with 2 screens
Entered the Distribution business
Won the Best Entertainment Retailer of the Year Award,
2005, at the ICICI Bank Retail ExcellenceAwards

Table 10 : Evolution of Maxx Cinema

SONIPAT MULTIPLEX
This 4 screen, 1318 seater multiplex is located at Race Course Circle, which is amongst
the most premium localities part of the city, being located in the midst of affluent
residentialarea, and less than a kilometer from the commercial districts of R.C. Dutt Road

57
andAlkapuri. In addition to the multiplex there is a mall lobby on the ground floorfor other
retail development, which has been leased out to tenants like McDonalds,Pantaloons and
Café Coffee Day, Weekender, Baskin & Robbins and others. This multiplexwas also
designed by TK Architects, and fitted with state-of-the-art cinema equipment.The multiplex
also has parking facilities which is another 30,000 square feet in area. This is anentertainment
hotspot for the premium class .

 Summary
Maxx Cinema backed by best picture and sound quality , overall facilities , shopping and
restaurants , easy access , reasonable prices and good staff behavior emerged as a clear winner
amongst all the multiplexes of Sonipat , namely Q CINEMA , Carnival and Mukta A2 .
Known for having premium segment customers MAXX CINEMA really lives up to the hype
and public image created by the company. But it still has to improve its ticket booking
facilities.

Multiplexes are known for attracting large no. of footfalls especially youth who have
disposable income to spend on entertainment, shopping, recreation and food . Mostly students
visit these multiplexes on a monthly basis. Female patrons although less in no. spend more.
Similarly businessmen although visiting these multiplexes rarely spend lavishly on themselves
and family . There is a huge demand for a Drive-in theatre in Sonipat . Respondents feel its still
early to rule out single screens as they serve lower income classes .

58
 CONCLUSION
Multiplex, in India, is the new business model for the film exhibition industry. It is transforming
movie viewing habits in India. It is set to take over a significant slice of the entertainment market
of India. Today multiplexes constitute just 1% of the total number of cinema halls, and 4-5% of the
total screens in India. The industry experts believe that it is beginning of the end of single screens
in India as the multiplexes with certain advantages such as multi-screen potential, flexibility in
operations; scope for other commercial viability will rule movie exhibition business in Indian film
exhibition industry .
The multiplexes enjoys rebates and exemptions Single Screen doesn’t enjoy such exemptions
from the government.(Entertainment Tax) on part of government. They just don’t offer movie but
also offer so Talking of the ambience, multiplex offer better Single screens on the other
hand don’t offer sitting , Dolby digital sounds and good such facilities to view graphics
for viewers . Multiplexes, by offering food courts, ATM etc . The mushrooming of
multiplexes has thrown up huge competition amongst multiplexes and is giving the stand-alone
theatres a run for their money. However, multiplex owners are still upbeat about their business.
“In India, we had 3,100 million admissions last year and only 12 screens per million. So there is a
huge potential for growth”. The road ahead for theatre owners is both exciting and challenging.
“The service industry is ever changing and you have to change proactively”.

59
 LIMITATIONS
 This study is purely based on the responses received from the respondents.
 Since we are not the authorized researchers so this study is made keeping in view utmost
cost effectiveness.
 This study is done in a limited time span
 The study focuses on the youth segment of the population
 The Research study would mainly be undertaken based on collection of primary data and
information mainly from urban population, it would be inappropriate to generalize it as fit
and good for the whole population.
 The Research Study shall be mainly carried out in the Sonipat city in the State of
Haryana; hence this research work does not aim to cover the opinion of all the
consumers’ of particular brand of multiplex located in a different city of Haryana .
 Findings can be applied to only select sample size and care must be taken while applying
to the other group of consumers’.

60
 QUESTIONNAIRE
Dear Sir / Madam:

I am Jyoti student of 6th sem. of BBA (Marketing) from HGC Sonipat, conducting a War of the
multiplexes – A Customer Satisfaction & Customer Preference Survey on Multiplexes in
Sonipat.

This questionnaire is part of a research study being conducted by me. The aim of the study is to
understand the consumers’ perception towards the multiplexes and to forecast the future of
multiplexes in ‘B’ grade city like Sonipat. Any information provided would be used only for
academic purpose and kept confidential.

I. Personal profile:

1. Name of Respondent:-

2. Age:-
 Below 18 years
 19-30 years
 31-50 years
 51 years & above

3. Gender :-
 Male
 Female

4. Occupation:-
 Student
 Service
 business
 housewife

61
 II. Research questions :-

5. Do you prefer to watch a movie in a Multiplex Theatre?

a. Yes b. No

6. Please rank the reasons for your choice ( 5 being most important , 1 being least )
f. Better sound and picture quality
g. Comfort
h. Value for money
i. Status symbol
j. Ticket prices

7. How often do you visit a Multiplex? ( Choose Any 1 Option )

f. Weekly
g. Twice a month
h. Monthly
i. Twice a year
j. Yearly

8. What is your monthly expenditure on movies ? (Choose Any 1 Option)

a. < 100
b. 100 – 300
c. 300 – 500
d. 500 – 700
e. 700 – 1000
f. > 1000

62
 9. Rank the multiplexes in descending order ( 4 being favorite , 1 being least )

Characteristic Carnival Mukta A2 Maxx Q CINEMA

Cinema
XV. Picture and sound
Quality

XVI. Seat comfort

XVII. Air conditioning

XVIII. Food and refreshments

XIX. Washroom facility

XX. Drinking water facility

XXI. Staff behavior

XXII. Gaming zone

XXIII. Ticket booking facilities

XXIV. Shopping experience

XXV. Security arrangement

XXVI. Parking facility

XXVII. Value for money

63
XXVIII. Overall Ambience

10. Which is your most preferred Multiplex in Sonipat? (Choose Any 1 Option)

Carnival Mukta A2 Maxx Cinema Q CINEMA

11. Your suggestions (Choose Any 1 Option for each attribute )

Attribute Strongly Agree Don’t Know Disagree Strongly

Agree Disagree
Reduction in ticket
prices
More offers and
discounts

Ticket booking
convenience
Reduction in prices
of refreshments

12. Which is the Multiplex which has given you highest overall satisfaction ?

Carnival Mukta A2 Maxx Cinema Q CINEMA

13. The reasons for your choice (Choose Any 1 Option for each attribute)

Attribute Highly Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Highly

Satisfied Dissatisfied
Overall
Entertainment
Physical
facilities

64
Service provided
by staff

14. Do you think there is a need for a Drive – In theatre in Sonipat?( Choose Any 1 Option )

Strongly Agree Agree Don’t Know Disagree Strongly

Disagree

15. Do you think single screen theatres have come to their end ? (Choose Any 1 Option )

Strongly Agree Agree Don’t Know Disagree Strongly

Disagree

16. Do multiplexes have a bright future in India? ( Choose Any 1 Option )

Strongly Agree Agree Don’t Know Disagree Strongly Disagree

-:THANK YOU FOR RESPONDING:-

65
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 www.Maxx Cinema.com
 www.marketingabout.com
 www.docstoc.com
 www.authorstream.com
 Media and entertainment Industry Report 2005 , FICCI
 Media and entertainment Industry Report 2005
 MAXX CINEMA Annual Report , 2007
 www.researchonindia.com
 Mukta A2 Presentation

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