Large, premium-format screens, such as Imax and 4DX, continue to see the majority of their business from tentpole Hollywood films rather than local titles in India. With Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film The Odyssey selling tickets for as much as ₹3,000 as part of advance bookings for its mid-July release in certain Imax properties, trade experts say these formats are built for scale and spectacle, and high-budget Hollywood films guarantee the same.
Though The Odyssey has not been released, advance booking data and reports suggest the film has sold around 1.5 lakh tickets at last count.
Imax is a screen format that is licensed to theatre owners like PVR Inox in India.
This not only justifies high ticket pricing but also ensures the premium screens remain Hollywood-first despite their growing presence across the country. Local films that account for less than 10% of overall business are still seen as incremental to the fortunes of these properties, not critical, especially since most Indian movies aren’t even shot in formats like Imax and are only converted to the format for viewing.
Imax declined to comment on the story.
“It is fair (to say the business of such screens is driven by Hollywood). These formats are built for spectacle, and Hollywood tentpoles are made for that kind of viewing, so they sit naturally together. What we see is that these screens are predominantly Hollywood first today,” said Ashish Misra, head of commercialization, Cinepolis India.
For the seven-day New Year period in China this year, Imax clocked $28 million in box office. In contrast, annual revenues in India are around $20 million.
- Hollywood tentpoles still dominate Imax and 4DX screens across major Indian cities.
- Local films contribute less than 10% of premium-format screen business here today.
- Nolan's The Odyssey advance tickets cost up to ₹3,000 at select Imax screens.
- Expansion into smaller cities is limited by high installation and operating costs.
- Indian hits like Kalki 2898 AD and Pushpa 2 show rising demand for premium formats.
Metros drive demand
These are high-investment formats, Misra added, and Hollywood is the primary contributor today, so screens follow that demand, which is strongest in the metros and top cities. “Indian films are still incremental here, not mainstream yet. Of everything that releases in Imax and 4DX in a year, only a small handful are local titles,” Misra said, adding that this is shifting. More Hindi and regional films are now being released in these formats, and as that pipeline grows, the local contribution grows with it.
Hollywood tentpoles continue to be among the biggest demand drivers for premium large-format screens such as Imax and 4DX in India, agreed Sanjeev Kumar Bijli, executive director, PVR Inox Ltd. The response to Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey reflects the growing willingness of audiences to choose premium formats for truly cinematic event films, a trend previously seen with Oppenheimer, Avatar, Top Gun: Maverick and the Marvel franchise.
To be sure, formats like Imax and 4DX have been trying to expand their footprint in India for a while, but there aren’t enough movies to keep the screens running for even half of the year, trade experts have said. Most Imax and 4DX movies are Hollywood films, which are released occasionally, and cinemas hosting these formats are forced to screen them for longer or screen even regular movies.
While high ticket prices and the perception that niche content is best suited for such screens are major challenges, the expansion of Imax and 4DX in tier II and tier III markets also comes with a high cost of installation and operations. These formats require proprietary technology, specialized sound and projection systems, and structural modifications, which extend the time needed to recover investments.
Building a commercial Imax theatre auditorium in India costs between ₹15 crore and ₹25 crore per screen. This is significantly higher than a standard cinema screen setup in India, which typically ranges from ₹2 crore to ₹2.5 crore.
Local titles are catching up, slowly
While Imax tickets in major cities often range between an average of ₹800 and ₹1,400, with premium seats crossing much higher for select releases, audiences in smaller towns are far more price-sensitive,” film producer Anand Pandit said. However, this has nothing to do with whether a film is domestic or international, experts like Pandit believe.
Hindi cinema, along with regional industries, has broadened the appeal of premium formats. The next phase of growth will depend on expanding infrastructure and developing pricing models that reflect local spending power. Once that balance is achieved, more premium screens may emerge in tier II cities.
“Films such as Kalki 2898 AD, Pushpa 2, Kantara: The Legend, and other large-scale Indian productions have demonstrated that audiences are increasingly choosing Imax, 4DX, and other premium experiences for homegrown stories as well,” Bijli said. “As Indian filmmakers continue to push the boundaries of scale, visual storytelling, and technical excellence, we expect domestic cinema to become an even stronger driver of occupancy and growth across premium large-format screens,” he added.
Kalki and Kantara made around ₹700 crore each in India while Pushpa 2 had earned over ₹1,400 crore. For such films, around ₹10-15 crore can come from premium formats.