The Second Life of a Film at PVR INOX
A trial screening of Laila Majnu grew into a programme that drew more than 71 lakh admissions. Why are audiences returning to films they already know?
By Screenox Media | 5 min read
In 2024, PVR INOX brought Laila Majnu back at a single cinema. The 2018 film had found admirers since its first release. Would they come to see it on the big screen?
They did. The response led PVR INOX to turn the trial into a wider strategy, according to Niharika Bijli, lead strategist at PVR INOX. www.hindustantimes.com
That small beginning raised a bigger question: How many films still had an audience waiting for them at the cinema?
From one screening to 250 films
In the financial year ended March 2025, PVR INOX programmed more than 250 returning films.
Together, they drew more than 71 lakh admissions and generated ₹124 crore in gross box office revenue, according to the company’s annual report. nsearchives.nseindia.com
Returning films accounted for 5.2% of all PVR INOX admissions that year. The figure stands out against a difficult year: overall admissions at the chain fell by 10%, while admissions for original Hindi films fell by 24%. nsearchives.nseindia.com
Older titles gave audiences a reason to visit between major new releases. Some became an occasion in their own right.
The films people came back for
Tumbbad led PVR INOX’s returning titles with 11.8 lakh admissions. Its folk horror found another chance to unfold in a dark auditorium, with an audience sharing the suspense.
Sanam Teri Kasam brought in 10.5 lakh admissions. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani followed with 10 lakh, drawing audiences back to its characters, friendships and music.
Interstellar drew 6.2 lakh admissions, while Rockstar drew 6.1 lakh. The PVR INOX annual report lists all five among its leading returning films. nsearchives.nseindia.com
The five films offer very different experiences. Some viewers wanted to revisit a favourite. Others had missed the chance to see it in a cinema the first time.
Why see a familiar film in a cinema?
The room changes how a film feels. A song can invite a collective response. A suspenseful scene can hold an audience in silence. For someone seeing a film on the big screen for the first time, its original release date may matter very little.
In a May 2026 interview, Bijli described a mix of audiences: people drawn back by memory and people discovering older films for the first time. www.hindustantimes.com
She also pointed to songs and scenes circulating on social media. A younger viewer might first encounter an older film there, then decide to see the whole story in a cinema.
The response extended beyond one chain. In its February 2025 box office report, Ormax Media placed the returning releases of Sanam Teri Kasam and Interstellar among India’s ten highest grossing films released that month. ormaxmedia.com
Making a return feel like an event
PVR INOX has continued to organise older films around a theme. In May 2026, its David Dhawan Film Festival brought Raja Babu, Partner and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi back to cinemas.
The festival reached 40 PVR INOX cinemas in 25 cities. www.hindustantimes.com
A festival gives people a reason to gather around a filmmaker or introduce a friend to a favourite comedy. The sense of occasion that emerged from the first Laila Majnu screening had reached a much wider audience.
PVR INOX also explored letting the audience help choose the film. Its annual report describes SCREENIT, launched in January 2025. It let people propose a screening from more than 500 titles, choose a cinema and date, and invite others to join. nsearchives.nseindia.com
A shared favourite could become a shared plan.
That plan begins before the opening scene. Friends meet, collect their tickets and spend time together in the lobby.
Screenox Media’s PVR INOX lobby screens meet moviegoers at that moment, when the excitement of seeing a film again, or seeing it on the big screen for the first time, is already in the air.