Estimate the annual revenue of a local cinema hall

1. Problem Understanding

We want to estimate the yearly revenue of a single cinema hall (not a multiplex), with:

  • 3 screens
  • Moderate ticket pricing
  • Typical food & beverage (F&B) sales

This is a business guesstimate using a capacity → utilization → pricing → revenue approach.


2. Approach Summary

Screens → Shows → Seats → Occupancy → Ticket Price → Ticket Revenue → F&B Revenue → Total Annual Revenue


3. Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Assume cinema size

A typical standalone cinema has:

  • 3 screens
  • 200 seats per screen
    Total seats = 3 × 200 = 600 seats

Step 2: Shows per day

Average: 4 shows per screen per day
Total shows = 3 × 4 = 12 shows/day


Step 3: Occupancy rate

Occupancy varies:

  • Weekdays: 20–30%
  • Weekends: 60–80%

Use blended average: ~40%

Seats filled per show =
200 × 40% = 80 seats

Daily footfall =
80 seats × 12 shows = ~960 viewers/day

Round to: ~1,000 viewers/day


Step 4: Ticket price

For a normal cinema (non-PVR/INOX), assume:
₹200 per ticket (reasonable blended average)

Daily ticket revenue =
1,000 viewers × ₹200 = ₹2,00,000/day
→ ₹2 lakh/day

Annual ticket revenue =
₹2 lakh × 365 ≈ ₹7.3 crore/year


Step 5: Add F&B (high-margin revenue)

F&B revenue per person: ₹60–₹100
Use ₹80 per viewer.

Daily F&B revenue =
1,000 × ₹80 = ₹80,000/day

Annual F&B revenue =
₹80k × 365 ≈ ₹2.9 crore/year


Step 6: Total annual revenue

  • Ticket revenue ≈ ₹7.3 crore
  • F&B revenue ≈ ₹2.9 crore

Total ≈ ₹10–10.5 crore per year


4. Final Answer

A typical 3-screen local cinema earns around ₹10 crore per year in revenue.

(Actual range: ₹8–12 crore, depending on occupancy and pricing.)


5. Interviewer-Ready Summary

  • 3 screens × 4 shows/day = 12 shows/day
  • 200 seats/screen → 600 seats total
  • Occupancy → ~40% → ~1,000 viewers/day
  • Ticket price → ₹200~₹7.3 crore/year
  • F&B → ₹80/viewer~₹2.9 crore/year
  • Final: ~₹10 crore annual revenue

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