Vishek Chauhan’s book Cinemas Forever reveals FASCINATING trivia – Before OTT changed the game, 3 Idiots sold 75,000-80,000 VCDs/DVDs, generating Rs. 3-4 cr; America sells more movie tickets than its population; India sells just 90 cr tickets annually
Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, Bihar, has released a book called ‘Cinemas Forever’ by Notion Press. The unputdownable book takes readers through the history of cinema abroad and in India, and explains how movie theatres fought back against television, home video, streaming and even two pandemics, and yet continue to thrive. ‘Cinemas Forever’ is filled with fascinating information about the movie business and in this article, Bollywood Hungama lists out some of its most interesting takeaways. One of the most startling portions of the book is its account of the golden age of theatrical moviegoing in the United States. In 1947, there were as many as 18,000 theatres in the US. Cinema, at that point, was not merely a form of entertainment; it was the third largest retail business in the country after groceries and automobiles. The scale of attendance was staggering. Around 90 million Americans – nearly 60% of the country’s population – went to the movies every week. ...