Empty theater but still housefull! Understand the whole game of free tickets and dummy seats

How Are Flop Films Portrayed as Hits: When a film is released in theatres, the biggest discussion is about its box office collection and theater occupancy. Many times the number of audience in the theater is less, but the shows on ticket booking apps appear almost housefull. In such a situation, the question arises that how do the seats get filled? How many business models, promotional campaigns, corporate booking and seat management systems work behind this. Although this does not happen with every film, there have been talks about these methods in the industry for a long time. Many times, even after becoming a hit, people have called the films a flop because the audience did not like them, but their verdict is given as a hit. Let us understand this in detail-

What is corporate bulk booking?

Many times in the film industry, companies, brands or parties associated with the film buy tickets in large numbers. This is called corporate bulk booking. These tickets can be divided into groups of employees, customers, students and many more. When thousands of tickets for a movie are purchased simultaneously, seats start appearing booked on the ticketing platform. In such a situation, the occupancy of the show also increases. In the box office data, such ticket sales also show like normal ticket sales because their payment is done through the ticket system only.

How does the free ticket system work?

Let us tell you that giving free tickets for movie promotion is not a new thing. Many times companies, radio stations, colleges, clubs and brand partners distribute free tickets for their campaigns. In some cases, the audience is given not only tickets but also popcorn, cold drinks or other offers. Its purpose is to increase the number of people in the theatre. When the audience sits on the seats, the theater does not appear empty, which sends a positive message about the film that the film is doing well and people are coming to the theater to watch it.

What do seat blocking and dummy seats mean?

Sometimes some seats are blocked for some time on the ticketing platform. There are many reasons for this. Such as reserving seats for VIP guests, media screening, technical reasons or group booking. In the industry, the term ‘dummy seats’ is used for those seats which are kept out of sale for some time. However, not all block seats are dummies. Many times seat blocking is done completely openly. Therefore, it may not always be correct to estimate the actual number of audiences in the theater just by looking at the position of seats on the app.

Effect of buy one get one free offer

A few days after the release of any film, offers like ‘buy one get one free’ appear in many films. Banks, wallet companies and ticketing platforms run such promotional campaigns. Such offers are expected to increase ticket sales. Suppose a person buys a ticket and gets it for free, then this will increase the number of people in the theatre. Many times the expenses of these offers are borne by brands, banks or people associated with the film.

What benefit do theater owners gain?

Cinema halls do not earn money only by selling tickets. Apart from this, they also earn a lot from food and beverage services like popcorn, cold drinks, snacks and parking. If people come to the theater to watch any movie, then the sales of the canteen will also increase. For this reason, theater owners participate in many promotional events to increase occupancy. Even though some people may have come on discounted or free tickets, their presence increases the theater’s earnings.

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Films earn money from here

Today, the earning of films is not only from theater but there are many other mediums too. OTT platforms, TV rights and music rights also bring huge income to big filmmakers. Sometimes the theatrical performance of a film can increase its digital or satellite rights. If a film earns well then it creates a good image in the market. For this reason, it is very important for the producer to show the strong performance of the film in the initial days.

Star value and box office role

In Bollywood and Indian film industry, the market value of a star is often linked to the earnings of his films. Producers, brands and investors take decisions based on box office earnings figures. That is why huge expenses are spent on the promotion of films. Social media campaigns, advance booking drives, fan shows and special screenings are aimed at bringing the audience to the theatre. However, the real success of a film lies in its staying in the theater for a long time.

Why do seats seem to fill up quickly on ticketing apps?

In today’s era of technology, the seat map on ticketing platforms keeps changing continuously. Some seats are booked, some remain reserved and some are opened for sale later. When people see that most of the seats are already filled, they may develop a positive image in their minds about the popularity of the film. In the world of marketing this is called the effect of ‘social proof’. However, the real success of a show can be known only by the number of audience present inside the theatre. In such a situation, it can be understood that many tactics like free tickets, corporate booking, promotional offers and seat management are adopted in the film industry, so that more and more people come to the theater to watch the film and get the benefit.

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