Make films, not excuses

Express Tribune

16-03-2025

This is not a new debate. Every few years, concerns resurface about the decline of our cinemas and for good reason. Recently, more than 48 screens have reportedly shut down due to dwindling ticket sales. Several factors contribute to this crisis: a shortage of local films, shifting post-pandemic viewing habits, and, most notably, the 2019 ban on Indian films, which once kept our cinemas running year-round.
A few lists of recently closed cinemas are making rounds on social media. While they are yet to be independently verified, some cinemas that have been confirmed to have shut down include Hyderabad's Cinepax, Bambino and Cinemoosh and Karachi's Atrium and Capri to Lahore's Shabistan, Plaza, Prince, and Peshawar's Naz Cinema.
Over the past week, I've come across the film fraternity online arguing that high ticket prices are a major reason audiences have stopped watching Pakistani films in cinemas. Some even pointed to the steep cost of popcorn and drinks as part of the problem. While concession stand snacks are undeniably overpriced, it's hard to believe that alone would keep moviegoers away.
In response, some filmmakers propose a seemingly simple solution: lowering ticket prices. But with our cinemas struggling for nearly a decade, if not longer, is that really the answer?
A lost trust
Before I turned to filmmaking, I believed that I had an answer to that. And it took a conversation with an exhibitor to remind me that it's not that the audience doesn't want to pay a thousand rupees for a film. It's the fact that they want to pay a thousand rupees for a film that's worth the experience.
The ticket price is inversely proportional to the number of films. However, we don't even make enough films annually to sustain our cinemas, let alone good films. We are seeing a record decline in 2025. Nobody raised an issue about ticket prices until we banned Indian films in Pakistan and were forced to sustain our cinemas only with local films. And because we failed to make enough films, better films, we look for justifications that will exempt us from blame.
Over the last decade or so, the very same filmmakers, who complain about ticket prices, have lost that trust from the audience. With certain exceptions, we haven't made many truly great Pakistani films. And even among the better films that we have made, most have suffered due to the abundance of mediocrity that occupies whatever little number of screens we have left. We fed the audience garbage for decades and expected them to like its taste. But the audience isn't completely stupid. They have seen quality films and they demand better from local filmmakers.
Our films shouldn't be accepted because "let's support Pakistani cinema". They should be watched because they are good films which offer something to an audience - be it an emotional rollercoaster, a fun CGI-filled cinematic experience or an introspective, thought-provoking journey. Give the audience something besides mindless rom-coms with the blandest characters performed by pretty faces with zero personality.
In the past, exhibitors have tried reducing the prices to lure more people into cinemas, and that has never worked. But the same audience crowds the theatres when a big Hollywood blockbuster is released. The very same audience flocks the cinemas during Eid holidays.
"The ticket price depends on three factors," says exhibitor and distributor Nadeem Mandviwalla. "The quality of a film, the facilities and projection quality of a cinema, and the location, which determine whether people will go to the cinema."
If we are stuck on the first, we can't be complaining about the rest of the factors. Perhaps if we made better films and had an audience who were interested enough in local films, we would be justified in at least questioning the ticket prices. Currently, that argument fails. And then, if we had an audience willing to come watch our films, it would be the audience demanding lower ticket prices, not the filmmakers. This gives way to the need for indie cinemas and alternative, cheaper venues but that's a topic for another day.
No excuses
Talking about The Legend of Maula Jatt, Mandviwalla recounted that he added 200 rupees to the ticket price of the film for the first 11 days of the film's release. And yet people rushed to watch it in droves.
Yes, the brand value of Maula Jatt, its history, and the star cast were all factors, but Bilal Lashari backed it up with a decent screenplay, fantastic characters and a storyline that kept you in your seat until the end. Add to it the visual and sound quality, production design, costumes and he created a world you would want to visit.
This does not mean we should only try and make big budget blockbusters. That would be a recipe for disaster. However, I once again emphasize the significance of improving ourselves as filmmakers.
"I don't tell the filmmakers how to write a film, why are they telling me how to run a cinema?" said the exhibitor. And he is spot on. The audience will come watch a film if they deem it worthy of their time and money.
The filmmakers can rightly point out the broken system and raise issues that would improve the industry. But we should also take time to reflect on the quality of films we are making. Better facilities, grants, state support, more screens, and a million other things will only cast a spotlight on our subpar, outdated storytelling and lack of understanding of filmmaking. The audience is exposed to films from across the globe now. And our second-hand imitation of Bollywood doesn't work anymore. It was never interesting to begin with and we were too afraid to take any risks when it mattered. And now having lost the faith of our audience, we have no one else to blame but ourselves.