http://www.samachar.com/Single-screens- ... gcabf.html
Single screens keeping up with changing times

Three-and-a-half years ago, Ritz Cinema at Kashmere Gate - one of the oldest movie theatres in the capital - had to down its shutters due to a sharp fall in the numbers of patrons, losing out to the swankier, more glamorous multiplexes. But in September last year, the cinema hall - which has been a prominent Walled City landmark for over 80 years - opened its doors once again, thoroughly spruced up.

The cinema's facade has been painted red and blue instead of the earlier grey and white. The lobby has a fresh coat of paint and shining tiles. The cinema hall also has a new sound and projection system. Its 576 seats have been refurbished, and the hall, which was air-cooled earlier, is now air-conditioned. The cinema has also revised its ticket rates, which were earlier in the range of 30-55. Now, the minimum price of a ticket has been fixed at 35.

Like the Ritz, some of the old single screens in the capital, including Alpana and Excelsior, have lost the battle to multiplexes and been forced to stop operations. Others, like Odeon, Plaza and Rivoli, crossed over to the multiplex side, having been sold by their owners to multiplex chains a few years ago. However, the remaining single screen theatres in the capital have finally decided to keep up with the Joneses. Many of them, despite remaining single screens, are a far cry from the paan-stained walls and stinking washrooms of yore, clearly ready to face competition from the upstart cineplexes and multiplexes.

But do their owners feel that multiplexes will finally push single screens out of the game? Says RK Mehrotra, GM, Delite Cinema, Daryaganj, "I don't think multiplex culture is going to spell the doom of single screen cinema. Ab sab log toh BMW nahi chala sakte na. Kuch log toh abhi bhi Maruti chalate hain. My point is that the ticket price is still a big factor for cinema goers. Not everybody can afford the costly tickets of multiplexes, so they would naturally settle for single screen cinemas. Our ticket prices start from 55 and go up to 155, whereas in multiplexes, one person has to shell out a minimum of 250-300, perhaps even more on weekends. We have added one more screen to our hall and in 2006, we started Delite Diamond (an adjacent hall) to screen more movies so that people have a choice. If we are screening a 2D movie, we charge 50 on an average for one person, which is much cheaper than multiplexes. At the end of the day, what matters is value for money and customer satisfaction."

NR Saini, deputy general manager of the nearby Golcha cinema (also in Daryaganj), which came up in 1954, admits that the juggernaut of multiplex culture in the last decade has given single screen halls a run for their money. "In order to survive the competition, we've upgraded to the latest sound system and digital technology. We can ignore such realities only at our own peril." Saini says their ticket rates are in the range of 50-120.

Batra cinema in Mukherjee Nagar, which came up in 1979, is also among those halls that have decided to keep pace with the times. Once one of the most popular single screen halls in North Delhi, Batra is frequented by college students from Delhi University, which is close by, and students preparing for competitive exams at the coaching centres in the area. According to Rahul Batra, they have switched to UFO technology to keep pace with multiplexes. "Everybody is becoming tech-savvy these days, so we have to keep introducing new elements to draw the audience. Moreover, a single screen cinema hall's major USP is its pocket-friendly ticket rates, unlike in multiplexes. And frankly, not everyone can afford to spend so much money watching a movie in a multiplex," he adds.

According to Kausar Siddiqui, manager of Abhishek cinema in Chandni Chowk, which came up in 2009, the survival of single screen cinemas is not in question. However, he makes no secret of the fact that given the allure of multiplexes, single screen cinema halls can't really afford to be caught in a time warp. "We cannot ignore the changing tastes and preferences of moviegoers. Anybody stepping into a single screen cinema hall these days expects some semblance of comfort in terms of modern technology and renovation, which she/he generally sees in multiplexes. We have to create that kind of proper environment and infrastructure,'' says Kausar.

Proud to be single
Delite
Golcha
Abhishek
Batra
Liberty
Aakash
Kalamandir
Ritz
Sapna
Amba
3CS

Having grown up in Delhi, in the times of Single Screen Cinemas, I found this news article interesting.

Any further comments, Delhites: Newdeep, Sanjay ??

Missing is the famous Shila theatre in this news story ??

I guess, some single screens have matched audio specs of good multiplexes ??

What about screen size ?? I wonder if a 150 seat cineplex auditorium can match the screen size of a 600-1500 seater single screen ??

What about I-Max screens in Delhi ?? Are there any ?? Have they started releasing some Bollywood film prints upgraded for I-Max screening, as they have been doing, for the Hollywood films, in the west for many years now ??

The vast majority of multiplex screens are way smaller than the single screens.