Nostalgia and the “fear of missing out” (FOMO) are the main reasons behind the growing popularity of movie re-releases in theatres, a senior executive at PVR INOX Limited has said.
The re-release phenomenon has grown steadily into a mainstream exhibition strategy over the past few years, with multiplexes increasingly programming classic titles alongside new releases to fill screens and draw audiences who may have missed a film during its original theatrical run or simply want to relive the experience.
Niharika Bijli, lead strategist at the multiplex chain, said several films, both Indian and international, have enjoyed renewed success upon re-release in theatres.
Among the most successful from the re-releases are horror-fantasy "Tumbbad", musical romance drama "Rockstar" and "Sanam Teri Kasam", romantic comedy "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani", and "Interstellar" by Christopher Nolan, among others.
“These are films that the newer generation wants to rediscover. Films like ‘Tumbbad’ or ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’ may not have had a good run when they were released first. Like, sometimes the timing or word-of-mouth was not good enough but these films have aged very well. They had a new lease of life and there were some fans who wanted to see these films on the big screen,” Bijli told PTI.
“There’s a FOMO factor; people feel that since many people are or were talking about a particular movie, they should also watch it. Nostalgic films are rewatched either with the same or new friends or family,” she added.
Bijli also said that social media plays a significant role, especially for films from the 1990s and early 2000s, whose music continue to be popular on all platforms.
“Instagram or reel culture, songs are a huge part of our lives. So, the songs and music and the moment you have the opportunity to experience the song or movie that you love, you watch it again on the big screen,” she said.
“There are certain films that we all come back to, so when you’ve had that same film playing on the big screen, it’s you taking your comfort for two hours outside. We’ve managed to do that with our infrastructure and we hope to continue doing that,” she added.
Bijli was talking on the sidelines of the David Dhawan Film Festival. PVR INOX organised a special cinematic retrospective to celebrate the director's legacy of iconic Hindi comedies ahead of the release of his latest "Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai".
Dhawan has created a distinct style of family entertainment rooted in humour, emotion, music, and mass appeal through films such as “Raja Babu”, “Mujhse Shaadi Karogi”, “Partner”, and others.
Bijli said such initiatives are timed strategically, sometimes aligning with new releases or anniversaries, to introduce them to newer audiences.
“David sir has made so many wide range of films. He has been around for multiple generations so maybe a lot of newer audiences who have not seen his films, for them it's like a refresher course,” she said.
PVR INOX Limited, India’s largest and most premium cinema exhibitor, recently hosted an exclusive star-studded evening in Mumbai as part of the specially curated film festival.
The event was attended by several members of the film fraternity, including Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Arjun Kapoor, Chunky Panday, Pooja Hegde, Anu Malik, Ramesh Taurani, Sajid Nadiadwala and others.
The David Dhawan Film Festival, kickstarted from May 22 and is being showcased across 40 premium PVR INOX cinemas in 25 cities, featuring a curated line-up of some of the filmmaker’s most loved entertainers, including “Aankhen”, “Raja Babu”, “Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya”, “Partner”, “Main Tera Hero”, and “Mujhse Shaadi Karogi”.
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