Owning the screen: Why film celebrities are backing cinemas

The trend is beginning to surface in the north as well, with actor Ajay Devgn owning a multiplex chain. Such moves, experts say, can improve the industry’s engagement with stakeholders by placing a creative voice at the helm, bolster brand recall and enhance distribution through better coordination and sharper audience feedback loops.

“For actors, it makes strategic sense because it allows them to participate across the film value chain—content, distribution, and exhibition. In an environment where box office dynamics are evolving and digital platforms are strong competitors, owning cinema assets is a way to deepen their engagement with theatrical audiences and strengthen the overall ecosystem,” said Sachiin Guptaa, country head of digital service provider UFO Moviez.

“When actors are involved in exhibition, it strengthens the industry’s ability to engage with internal and external stakeholders, including during policy discussions and regulatory matters. Their presence adds both credibility and influence, which can be important for the overall growth and alignment of the exhibition sector,” he said.

“At the moment, returns from cinemas are not great with only around 10 hits in a language per year. So the only option is to go premium and price at a certain rate, which existing chains are already doing,” said film producer and distributor Yusuf Shaikh, also founder and chief executive of low-cost theatre chain Janta Cinema.

Lata Jha

Lata writes about the media and entertainment industry for Mint, focusing on everything from traditional film and TV to newer areas like video and audio streaming, including the business and regulatory aspects of both. A journalist for over a decade, she has extensively covered relatively underexplored aspects of what is seen as a glamorous business—from the death of single-screen cinemas in small towns to unreasonable star fees and demands eating into film production budgets and eventually inflating ticket rates. She was early to spot what are now established and ongoing trends such as the slowdown in the OTT business and the surge in the popularity of southern movies, which she continues to spotlight. A regular writer of in-depth, long-form features, her best-read work ranges from critical profiles of companies like Netflix, JioHotstar and Prime Video to takes on sexual harassment and mental health in the entertainment industry. She spends a lot of time watching content, particularly the old-school way in movie theatres, to make sure her writing is embedded in on-ground experience, since she believes the best stories often come from the travesties of directly engaging with and paying for the content that she writes on, and not from celebrity tweets, company releases or listings. A graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism, she has also authored a book on the business of entertainment.